'--:—f./' 


Edv/ard  Irving 


For 
Missionaries 
after  the 
Apostolical  School 


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ALUMNI  LIBRARY, 


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f    THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 


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"Ir'^^l  I 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Cam\      Division, 


I  ^10 


y  FOR 


MISSIONARIES 


AFTER   THE 


APOSTOLICAL  SCHOOL. 


/ 


Johit 


FOR 


MISSIONARIES 


AFTEB   THE- 


APOSTOLICAL  SCHOOL, 

A  SERIES  OF  ORATIONS. 


I.  THE   DOCTRtNE,  I  III.    THE  ARGUMENT, 

II.  THE   EXPERIMENT,        IV.    THE   DCTy. 


IN  FOUR  PARTS  :  /    ^  ( 


Si* 


BY  THE  REV.  EDWARD  IRVING,  AM  ^    ?  ^- 

NEW  YORK: 

PUBLISHED    BV 

E.  BLISS  &  E.  WHITE,  NO.  128  BROADWAY 
1825. 


Dodd  &.  Folsoni,  Printers,  No.  1  Thames  Sirctt. 


PART  FIRST. 


THE  DOCTRINE, 

IN  THREE  ORATIONS. 


THSOLGGIC:^^/ 
DEDICATION. 

TO 

SAMUEL  TAYLOR  COLERIDGE,  Es^. 


MY  DEAR  AND  HONOURED  FRIEND, 

Unknown  as  you  are,  in  the  true  character  either 
of  your  mind  or  of  your  heart,  to  tlie  greater  part 
of  your  countrymen,  and  misrepresented  as  your 
works  have  been,  by  those  who  have  the  ear  of  the 
vulgar,  it  will  seem  wonderful  to  many  that  I 
should  make  choice  of  you,  from  the  circle  of  my 
friends,  to  dedicate  to  you  these  beginnings  of  my 
thoughts  upon  the  most  important  subject  of  these 
or  any  times.  And  when  I  state  the  reason  to 
be,  that  you  have  been  more  profitable  to  my  faith 
in  orthodox  doctrine,  to  my  spiritual  understand- 
ing of  the  Word  of  God,  and  to  my  right  concep- 
tion of  the  Christian  Church,  than  any  or  all  of  the 
men  with  whom  I  have  entertained  friendship  and 
conversation,  it  will  perhaps  still  more  astonish  the 
mind,  and  stagger  the  belief,  of  those  who  have 


vlii  DIJJICA IIUN. 

adopted,  a-  (Jiicc  I  did  myself,  the  misrepresenta- 
tions which  are  purchased  for  a  hire  and  vended 
for  a  price,  concerning  your  character  and  works. 
You  have  only  to  bhut  jour  ear  to  what  they  igno- 
Tantly  say  of  you,  and  earnestly  to  meditate  the 
deep  thougiits  with  which  you  are  instinct,  and 
give  them  a  suitable  body  and  form  that  they  may 
live,  then  silently  commit  tliem  to  the  good  sense 
of  ages  yet  to  come,  in  order  to  be  ranked  here- 
after amongst  the  most  gifted  sages  and  greatest 
benefactors  df  yonr  country.  Enjoy  and  occupy 
the  quiet  which,  after  many  trials,  the  providence 
of  God  hath  bestowed  upon  you,  in  the  bosom  of 
your  friends ;  and  may  you  be  spared  until  you 
have  made  known  the  multitude  of  your  thoughts, 
unto  those  who  at  present  value,  or  shall  hereafter 
arise  to  value,  their  worth. 

I  have  partaken  so  much  high  intellectual  enjoy- 
ment from  being  admitted  into  the  close  and  fami- 
liar intercourse  with  which  you  have  honoured 
me,  and  your  many  conversations  concerning  the 
revelations  of  the  Christian  faith  have  been  so  pro- 
litable  to  me  in  every  sense,  as  a  student  and  a 
preacher  of  the  Gospel,  as  a  spiritual  man  and  ii 
Christian  ])astor.  and  your  high  intelhgence  sfmI 


DEDICATIOA.  ^^ 

great  learning  have  at  all  times  so  kindly  stooped 
to  my  ignorance  and  inexperience,  that  not  mere- 
ly with  the  affection  of  friend  to  friend,  and  the 
honour  due  from  youth  to  experienced  age,  but 
with  the  gratitude  of  a  disciple  to  a  wise  and 
generous  teacher,  of  an  anxious  inquirer  to  the 
good  man  who  hath  helped  in  the  way  of  truth,  I 
do  now  presume  to  offer  you  the  first-fruits  of  my 
mind  since  it  received  a  new  impulse  towards  truth, 
and  a  new  insight  into  its  depths,  from  listening  to 
your  discourse.  Accept  them  in  good  part,  and 
be  assured  that  however  insignificant  in  themselves, 
they  are  the  offering  of  a  heart  which  loves  your 
heart,  and  of  a  mind  which  looks  up  with  reverence 
to  your  mind, 

EDWARD  IRVING. 


PREFACE. 


Having  been  requested  by  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society  to  preach  upon  the  occasion  of  their 
last  anniversary,  I  wiUingly  comphed,  without 
much  thought  of  what  I  was  undertaking ;  but  when 
I  came  to  reflect  upon  the  sacredness  and  impor- 
tance of  the  cause  given  into  my  hands,  and  the 
dignity  of  the  audience  before  which  I  had  to  dis- 
course, it  seemed  to  my  conscience  that  I  had  un- 
dertaken a  duty  full  of  peril  and  responsibility,  for 
which  I  ought  to  prepare  myself  with  every  prepa- 
ration of  the  mind  and  of  the  spirit.  To  this  end, 
retiring  into  the  quiet  and  peaceful  country,  among 
a  society  of  men  devoted  to  every  good  and  chari- 
table work,  I  searched  the  Scriptures  in  secret ; 
and  in  their  pious  companies  conversed  of  the  con- 
victions which  were  secretly  brought  to  my  mind 
concerning  the  Missionary  work.  And  thus,  not 
without  much  prayer  to  God  and  self-devotion,  I 
meditated  those  things  which  I  delivered  in  public 
before  the  reverend  and  pious  men  who  had 
honoured  me  with  so  great  a  trust. 

At  that  time  I  had  no  design  whatever  of  giving 


Xii  PREFACE. 

to  my  thoughts  any  wider  pubhcity,  and  was  pre- 
pared to  resist  any  application  which  might  haply 
be  made  to  me  to  do  so ;  but  an  application  pre- 
sented itself  from  a  quarter  which  I  was  not  pre- 
pared to  resist, — my  own  sympathies  with  a  heart- 
broken widow,  the  widow  of  John  Smith,  the  Mis- 
sionary, wlio  had  died  in  prison  under  a  sentence 
of  death,  which  the  good  sense  and  good  feeling  of 
England  united  in  pronouncing  to  be  unjust.  Inas- 
much as  he  suffered  unjustly,  1  viewed  him  as  a 
martyr,  though  condemned,  like  his  Lord,  with  a 
shoiv  of  law.  And  being  unable  in  any  other  way 
to  testify  my  sense  of  his  injuries,  and  my  feeling  of 
the  duty  of  the  Christian  Church  to  support  his 
widow,  I  resolved  that  I  would  do  so  by  devoting 
to  her  use  this  fruit  of  my  mind  and  spirit.  Thus 
moved,  I  gave  notice  that  I  would  publish  the  dis- 
course, and  give  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  into  her 
hands. 

When  again  i  came  to  meditate  upon  this  second 
engagement  which  I  had  come  under  and  took  into 
consideration  the  novelty  of  the  doctrine  which  I 
was  about  to  promulgate,  I  set  myself  to  examine 
the  whole  subject  anew,  and  opened  my  ear  to 
every  objection  which  1  could  hear  from  any  quar- 
ter, nothing  repelled  by  the  uncharitable  construc- 
tions and  ridiculous  accoutit  which  was  ollen  ren- 
dered of  my  views.  The  effect  of  which  was  to  con- 
vince mo  that  the  doctrine  which  I  had  advanced 


PREFACE.  xiii 

was  true,  but  of  so  novel  and  unpalatable  a  cha- 
racter, that  if  it  was  to  do  any  good,  or  even  to  live, 
it  must  be  brought  before  the  public  with  a  more 
minute  investigation  of  the  Scriptures,  and  fuller 
development  of  reason,  than  could  be  contained 
within  the  compass  of  a  single  discourse.  To  give 
it  this  more  convincing  and  more  living  form,  was 
the  occupation  of  my  little  leisure  from  pastoral 
and  ministerial  duties,  rendered  still  less,  during 
the  summer  months,  by  the  indifference  of  my  bo- 
dily health.  And  it  was  not  until  the  few  weeks 
of  rest  and  recreation  which  I  enjoyed  in  the  au- 
tumn, that  I  was  able  to  perceive  the  true  form  and 
full  extent  of  the  argument  which  is  necessary  to 
make  good  my  position.  Which  things  I  mention, 
in  order  to  explain  the  delay  which  has  taken 
place  in  the  publication. 

The  doctrine,  of  which  I  have  convinced  myself 
out  of  the  Scriptures,  and  which  I  propose  by  the 
liTace  of  God  to  demonstrate  and  commend,  in  a 
series  of  Orations,  is  contained  in  the  tenth  chap- 
ter of  Matthew,  the  sixth  chapter  of  Mark,  the 
ninth  and  tenth  chapters  of  Luke ;  which  text  I 
have  prefixed  to  the  work  under  the  name  of  "  The 
Missionary  Charter."  The  twelve  apostles  and 
seventy  disciples,  acting  upon  this  commission,  J 
consider  as  a  school  of  Missionaries,  from  Avhich 
we  should  take  the  character  of  the  Missionary, 
the  nature  of  his  qualifications,  and  the  methods 


xiv  I'KEFACK. 

of  his  piuceediiig,  with  the  same  exactiiesb  will* 
which  we  take  the  cliaracter  of  a  pastor  and  the 
nature  of  his  duties,  the  character  of  a  private 
Christian  and  the  nature  of  his  duties,  from  the 
other  constitutions  of  the  Lord  and  his  Apostles : 
and  under  this  conviction,  1  have  entitled  my 
work,  "For  Missionaries  after  the  Apostolical 
School."  Of  how  many  Orations  the  work  will 
consist,  I  am  not  able  at  present  to  determine,  but 
the  plan  of  it,  as  well  as  the  occasion,  is  fully  con- 
tained in  the  Introduction,  which  I  have  entitled 
"  The  Occasion  and  Method  of  the  Orations." 

This  is  the  age  of  expediency,  both  in  the  Church 
and  out  of  the  Church;  and  all  institutions  are 
modelled  upon  the  principles  of  expediency,  and 
carried  into  effect  by  the  rules  of  prudence.  I 
remember,  in  this  metropolis,  to  have  heard  it  ut- 
tered with  great  applause  in  a  public  meeting, 
where  the  heads  and  leaders  of  tlie  religious  world 
were  present,  "  If  I  were  asked  what  was  the  first 
qualification  for  the  Missionary,  I  would  say,  Pru- 
dence ;  and  what  the  second }  Prudence ;  and 
w  hat  the  third  }  still  I  would  answer.  Prudence." 
1  trembled  while  I  heard,  not  with  indignation  but 
with  horror  and  apprehension,  whut  the  end  would 
be  of  a  spirit  which  1  have  since  found  to  be  the 
presiding  genius  of  our  activity,  the  ruler  of  the 
ascendant.  Now,  if  I  read  the  eleventh  chapter 
of  St.  Paul's  Epistle  <o  the  Hebrews.  I  find  thai 


PREFACE.  X> 

trom  tlie  time  oi  Abel  to  the  time  of  Christ,  it  was 
hy  faith  that  the  cloud  of  witnesses  witnessed  their 
good  confession  and  so  mightily  prevailed ;  which 
faith  is  there  defined  the  substance  of  things  hoped 
for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen ;  whereas  pru- 
dence or  expediency  is  the  substance  of  things  pre- 
sent, the  evidence  of  things  seen.  So  that  faith  and 
prudence  are  opposite  poles  in  the  soul,  the  one 
attracting  to  it  all  things  spiritual  and  divine,  the 
other  all  things  sensual  and  earthy.  This  expe- 
diency hath  banished  the  soul  of  patriotic  elo- 
quence from  our  senate,  the  spirit  of  high  equity 
from  our  legislation,  self-denying  wisdom  from  our 
philosophy,  and  of  our  poetry  it  hath  dipt  the 
angel  wing  and  forced  it  to  creep  along  the  earth. 
And  if  we  look  not  to  it,  it  will  strangle  faith  and 
make  void  the  reality  of  things  which  are  not  seen, 
which  are  the  only  things  that  are  real  and  cannot 
be  removed.  Money,  money,  money,  is  the  uni- 
versal cry.  Mammon  hath  gotten  the  victory,  and 
may  say  triumphantly  (nay,  he  may  keep  silence 
and  the  servants  of  Christ  will  say  it  for  him,) 
*'  Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing." 

This  evil  bent  of  prudence  to  become  the 
death  of  all  ideal  and  invisible  things,  whether 
poetry,  sentiment,  heroism,  disinterestedness,  or 
faith,  it  is  the  great  prerogative  of  religious  faith 
to  withstand,  because  religious  faith  is  the  only 
form  of  the  ideal  which  hath  the  assurance  from 


^yi  PRE FACE 

heaven  ot"  a  present  blessing  and  an  everlasting 
reward.  Poetry  is  a  tender  delicate  plant,  which 
seeketh  solitary  culture,  and  ill  endureth  the 
rough  handling  of  utility.  And  sentiment  is  a 
flower  which  vanisheth  into  beautiful  colours  and 
sweet  odours,  that  moment  it  is  placed  by  the  side 
of  politics  and  economists  and  clirestomathics, 
and  such  other  thistle-like  productions  of  the 
mind,  (if  indeed  they  belong  not  rather  to  the 
sense.)  And  heroism  and  patriotism  and  virtue 
and  other  forms  of  disinterestedness,  having  no 
exchangeable  value  in  the  market-place,  must 
keep  at  home  in  books  or  be  shown  ordy  in  family 
circles,  like  the  antiquated  dresses  of  our  grand- 
fathers and  grandmothers,  with  whom  the  things 
so  named  were  in  fashion.  But  faith  is  born  to 
brave  contempt,  to  defy  power,  to  bear  persecu- 
tion, and  endure  the  loss  of  all  things.  And  in 
doing  so,  faith  will  overthrow  the  idol  of  expedi- 
ency, and  recover  those  heavenly  and  angelic 
forms  of  the  natural  man, — poetry,  sentiment, 
honour,  patriotism,  and  virtue, — which  the  wor- 
shippers of  the  idol  have  offered  at  the  idol's 
shrine. 

And  truth  will  not  retaliate  upon  prudence  the 
evil  aim  which  she  hath  bent  against  her  and  all 
her  daughters:  but,  upon  the  other  hand,  will 
bestow  even  upon  prudence  a  heavenly  form. 
For  faith  is   the  substance  of  things  hoped  for. 


I'REFACE.  XVll 

and  therefore  is  ever  looking  onward ;  it  is  the 
evidence  of  things  unseen,  and  is  therefore  ever 
looking  bejond  the  present.  Futurity  is  its 
dwelling-place.  And,  therefore,  as  it  grows  in 
the  soul,  it  makes  it  full  of  forecast  and  con- 
sideration. And  forecast  and  consideration  being 
in  the  soul,  it  must  be  prudent,  provident  and 
prudent,  with  a  true  wisdom,  which,  making  its 
calculations  for  eternity,  applies  them  also  to 
time.  Hence  it  is  wTitten,  that  godliness  hath  the 
promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  as  well  as  of  the 
life  that  is  to  come.  Hence,  also,  the  moment  you 
make  a  poor  man  religious,  you  make  him  sober 
and  economical  and  prudent.  Hence,  also,  the 
most  faithful  and  religious  nation  upon  the  earth, 
is  also  the  most  prudent  and  prosperous  on  the 
earth.  So  that  prudence,  in  the  end,  will  grow 
upon  that  same  stem  whereon  grow  poetry,  senti- 
ment, honour,  patriotism,  virtue,  and  every  other 
form  of  invisible  truth, — upon  the  stem  of  that  tree 
whose  leaves  are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations. 

If  you  thus  make  a  stand  for  the  dignity  of  faith 
alone,  and  show,  out  of  the  Scriptures,  what  in  all 
ages  it  hath  accomplished  for  the  well-being  of 
man,  in  the  teeth  of  expediency  and  power  and 
wealth,  by  no  ministry  or  help  but  that  of  all- 
prevailing  truth ;  lo !  even  the  faithful  rise  upon 
you  like  locusts  and  cry.  But  these  Scripture-men 
had  miracles,  and  were  the  mighty  power  of  God  ; 

3 


what  arf;  w c  tliat  wc  should  hkeii  oursehcsj  to 
them?  They  have  their  refuge  in  the  physical 
power  of  a  miracle, — another  form  of  the  doctrine 
of  expediency,  which  must  have  a  solution  of 
every  ditficulty  liom  the  visible.  The  consistency 
of  the  Cliristian  doctrine  with  everlasting  truth  is 
nothing :  the  more  than  chivalrous,  the  divine  in- 
tre})idity  and  disinterestedness  of  its  teachers  is 
nothing ;  the  response  of  every  conscience  to  the 
w  ord  of  the  preacher  is  nothing  ;  the  promise  of 
God's  Spirit  is  nothing:  it  is  all  to  be  resolved  by 
the  visible  work,  the  outward  show^  of  a  miracle. 
This  was  the  only  point  on  w  hich  the  Gospel  came 
into  contact  w  ith  the  visible  ;  and  expediency 
having  corrupted  the  mind  of  this  age,  to  look  for 
the  cause  and  elFect  of  every  thing  in  the  visible, 
they  at  once  cry  out  with  one  voice,  The  Gospel 
owed  its  success  in  the  first  ages  wholly  to  this, 
or  to  this  almost  wholly  ;  but  for  us  we  must  ac- 
commodate ourselves  to  the  absence  of  these 
supernatural  means,  and  go  about  the  work  in  a 
reasonable  prudent  way,  if  we  would  succeed  in 
it ;  calculate  it  as  the  merchant  does  an  adven- 
ture ;  set  it  forth  as  the  statesman  doth  a  colony  ; 
raise  the  ways  and  means  within  the  year,  and 
expend  them  w  ithin  the  year ;  and  so  go  on  as 
long  as  we  can  get  our  accounts  to  balance. 

Into  this  exaggeration  of  miracles,  out  of  which 
I  foresee   the  chief  objection  to   the  doctrine  of 


PREFACE.  xix 

the  Orations  now  published,  I  enter  not  further  at 
present,  having  tlic  whole  subject  before  me  in 
the  next  head  of  discourse,  to  which  1  shall  ad- 
dress myself  as  soon  as  leisure  is  afforded  me,  and 
in  which  I  shall  do  ray  endeavour  to  put  the  ques- 
tion of  the  primitive  success  of  the  Gospel  upon 
its  proper  basis, — the  character  of  the  doctrine 
and  the  character  of  the  preachers  of  the  doc- 
trine. The  Jews  required  a  sign  (that  is,  mira- 
cels,)  and  the  Greeks  sought  after  wisdom,  but  it 
pleased  God  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching  to 
save  them  that  believe. 

This  unfounded  reference  of  every  thing  pe- 
culiar to  the  primitive  times,  to  the  influence  of 
miracles,  not  only  draws  an  impassable  gulf  be- 
twixt our  sympathies  and  the  actions  of  Christ 
and  the  Apostles,  making  their  example  of  little 
or  none  effect,  but  it  hath  brought  in  the  notice 
that  certain  offices  have  altogether  ceased  in  the 
Church  ;  and  to  many  cradled  in  these  current 
ideas,  it  will  seem  little  short  of  blasphemy  in  me 
to  have  referred  the  modern  Missionaries  to  the 
Apostles  as  their  only  patterns.  And  the  same 
horrorwould  arise  in  pious  minds,  if  I  were  to  say 
that  the  preacher  here  at  home  is  no  other  office 
than  that  of  the  ancient  prophet  to  the  land  of 
Israel.  And  yet  both  these  positions  I  have  the 
hardihood  to  assert,  and  (^hope  to  be  able  to  de- 
monstrate  to  the   Church.      Those    five   offices 


XX  PREFACE. 

mentioned  by  the  Apostle  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Ephesians,  '•  apostles,  prophets,  evangelists,  pas- 
tors, and  teachers,"  are  not  offices  for  a  time  but 
for  all  times,  denoting  the  five  great  divisions  of 
duty  necessary  for  the  prosperity  of  the  Church  ; 
"  apostles,"  those  sent  out  to  preach  the  Gospel 
unto  the  people  who  know  it  not ;  "  prophets," 
those  who  are  to  prophesy  in  the  midst  of  the 
people  who  know  it  but  obey  it  not,  to  call  them 
to  repentance,  and  to  read  out  their  doom  if  they 
repent  not ;  "  evangelists,"  those  who  arc  to  build 
up  in  knowledge  and  faith,  comfort  and  charity, 
those  who  already  do  believe  the  Gospel ;  "  pas- 
tors," those  who  are  shepherds  over  a  flock,  and 
guide  every  one  in  the  way,  teaching  them  from 
house  to  house,  and  communing  with  their  souls ; 
"  teachers,"  or  doctors,  whose  otlice,  according  to 
the  second  book  of  the  Discipline  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland,  is  "  to  open  up  the  mind  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  in  the  Scriptures,  simply,  without  such  ap- 
plication as  the  ministers  use,  to  the  end  that  the 
iaithful  may  be  instructed,  and  sound  doctrine 
taught,  and  that  the  purity  of  the  Gospel  be  not 
corrupted  through  ignorance  or  evil  opinions." 
These  five  offices  arise  out  of  the  everlasting  ne- 
cessities of  the  Church.  When  there  are  no  Hea- 
then, the  apostolic  office  will  decease ;  when 
there  are  no  luke-warm,  back-sliding,  or  rebel- 
lious hearers  and  professors  of  the  (ruth,  the  pro- 


PREFACE,  Xxi 

phetic  office  will  cease ;  and  when  there  are  no 
popular  prejudices  of  ignorance,  or  heresies  of 
error,  or  learned  oppositions,  the  office  of  the 
doctor  will  cease ;  and  then  there  will  be  no  need 
save  of  the  evangelist  and  the  pastor.  But  as  this 
bright  period  is  remote,  and  the  Heathen  abound 
upon  the  earth,  and  those  who  have  but  a  name  to 
live  abound  in  Christendom,  and  almost  every 
learned  man  is  a  professed  or  disguised  disbe- 
liever and  gainsajer,  these  offices  must  continue 
to  exist,  and  officers  must  arise  and  bear  them, 
whether  they  assume  the  name  or  not ;  otherwise 
the  Church  will  contract  her  limits,  and  grow  full 
of  spots  and  wrinkles  and  blemishes  and  corrup- 
tions. The  miraculous  endowments  of  all  these 
offices  have  ceased,  because  there  is  no  longer 
any  occasion  for  them  (the  external  healings, 
which  were  like  fruit  before  the  harvest,  being 
superseded  by  the  fruits  of  health  and  blessed- 
ness, which  the  Gospel  hath  produced,  not  upon 
individuals,  but  upon  nations  and  generations  ; 
the  internal  powers  of  understanding  and  dis- 
course being  superseded  by  the  thing  understood 
and  discoursed  of,  which  we  have  in  the  writings 
of  the  Apostles.)  The  miraculous  gifts,  whether 
external  or  internal,  have  brought  themselves  to 
an  end ;  but  the  use  and  purpose  of  these  offices 
as  surely  remain  as  the  use  and  purpose  of  the 
evangelical   minister  and  tiie  faithful  pastor  re- 


Xxil  PREFACt. 

main.  And  it  our  Churclics  were  in  full  posses- 
sion of  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  they  would  order 
themselves  and  their  operations  after  these  five 
divisions  of  the  Christian  ministr}'.  Indeed,  they 
are  beginning  to  do  so  imperceptibly.  Every 
Church  and  body  of  dissenters  have  already  re- 
constituted the  apostolic  office  in  the  Missionary ; 
the  office  of  the  preacher  or  prophet  is  also  begin- 
ning to  separate  from  the  office  of  pastor  in  our 
great  cities  (pity  that  it  were  at  the  expense  of  the 
latter,)  and  the  office  of  evangelist  is  well  sustain- 
ed by  what  are  called  the  evangelical  clergy  (pity 
that  they  did  not  address  themselves  also  to  the 
pastoral  and  prophetic  offices  :)  the  doctors  should 
be  in  the  universities  and  schools  of  learning;,  as  is 
well  set  forth  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  the  second 
book  of  Discipline;  and,  for  pastors,  they  are  to  be 
found,  still  in  ancient  simplicity  and  faithfulness, 
in  many  parishes  of  the  North.  Whether  it  be 
possible  for  one  man  to  discharge  these  four  offices 
of  the  Church,  I  know  not:  but  this  I  know,  that 
any  one  of  them  is  a  sufficient  field  for  the  fiicul- 
ties  and  energies  of  the  most  able  and  active  man. 
Into  these  matters  of  ecclesiastical  polity  it  may 
be  thought  out  of  place  to  have  entered  here,  but 
it  is  important  to  have  communicated  in  this  short 
and  simple  way  the  leading  idea  of  this  discourse 
concerning  doctrine,  which  is  intended  to  bring 
back  the  Missionary  to  the  Apostolical  office,  to 


PREFACE. 


XXlll 


restore  the  Gospel-Messenger  tohisdignity  of  place, 
to  give  him  back  his  charter  and  prerogative,  to 
deliver  him  into  the  liberty  of  his  office  out  of  the 
hands  of  whomsoever  would  enthral  it,  to  make 
him  the  servant  of  our  common  Lord,  the  depend- 
ent of  our  commen  Father,  the  mouth  and  voice 
of  our  common  Spirit,  subordinate  to  nothing  upon 
the  earth  save  the  authority  of  the  Church  which 
ordaijied  him,  and  the  law  of  the  Gospel  verity. 
Though  published  separately,  in  order  to  redeem 
my  pledge  to  the  public  and  gratify  the  feeling 
out  of  which  the  pledge  was  given,  it  contains  a 
full  developement  of  the  Missionary  Constitution 
and  a  demonstration  of  its  perpetuity,  and  there- 
fore is  complete  in  itself,  though  only  a  fragment 
of  the  whole  discourse ;  which  1  shall  be  the  bet- 
ter able  to  address  to  the  conditions  of  the  present 
time,  when  I  shall  have  gathered  the  judgment  of 
the  Churches  upon  the  doctrine,  through  their 
several  public  organs  of  opinion. 

Now,  if  the  members  and  managers  of  Mission- 
ary Society  think  that  I  entertain  towards  them 
any  feelings  but  those  of  brotherhood  in  the  work 
in  which  they  labour,  they  deceive  themselves 
and  disbelieve  my  declarations.  It  is  amongst 
the  pleasantest  recollections  of  my  early  years, 
that  in  my  youth  their  cause  was  the  subject  of 
my  prayers  and  the  end  of  my  secret  savings; 
that  many  years  before  I  reached  man's  estate, 


^^1^  MlKFACK. 

[  was  chosen  the  manager  o(  one  oi  the  coun- 
try Bible  Societies,  and  one  of  the  country 
Missionary  Societies  of  Scotland ;  that  I  after- 
wards filled  the  office  of  secretary  to  the  two  chief 
Societies  in  the  most  populous  city  of  Scotland ; 
in  all  which  oirices  I  had  the  approbation  of  the 
Societies  entered  on  their  minutes.  And  it  is  now 
a  continual  subject  of  regret  to  me,  that  the  duties 
of  the  ministerial  and  pastoral  office,  to  which  I  am 
ordained,  leave  me  no  time  for  serving  their  most 
noble  cause,  otherwise  than  by  the  silent  and  se- 
cret meditation  of  these  unworthy  thoughts.  That 
I  consider  their  plans  imperfect  and  immature,  is, 
I  trust,  no  more  than  they  do  themselves.  That  I 
search  the  Scriptures  for  light,  is,  I  trust,  no  more 
than  they  do  themselves.  That  I  make  known  to 
others  the  knowledge  which  is  revealed  unto  my 
mind,  is  no  more  than  they  do  in  every  one  of  their 
publications.  Therefore,  let  them  take  me  to 
be,  as  indeed  I  am,  a  true  friend  to  the  work  in 
which  they  are  engaged ;  and  let  them  judge  me 
in  the  spirit  of  love,  not  of  bitterness  or  strife. 

My  desire  and  prayer  for  every  Missionary  So- 
ciety which  is  embodied,  for  every  Mission  which 
is  undertaken,  for  every  Missionary  who  adven- 
tures from  tlie  bosom  of  his  home,  for  the  sake  of 
the  Gospel  of  Christ  and  the  salvation  of  the  unbe- 
lieving nations,  is,  that  they  may  prosper  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.     If  I  forget  them  in  my  prayers. 


PREFACi:.  xXY 

private  and  public,  may  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cunning ;  if  I  fail  to  contribute  my  mite  to  their 
support,  may  the  Lord's  providence  cease  to  pro- 
vide for  me  and  mine.  Nay,  but  more,  I  will  think 
for  their  sake,  and  meditate  my  inmost  thoughts, 
for  their  success.  My  mind,  as  well  as  my  soul, 
belongeth  to  Christ,  my  Creator  and  Redeemer, 
and  unto  his  cause  they  are  due  and  are  devoted. 
And  in  this  spirit  I  do  now  pray  to  Him,  to  save  or 
destroy,  to  prosper  or  blast,  these  first  fruits  of 
many  thoughts,  according  as  they  are  fitted  to  ad- 
vance or  to  retard  the  glory  of  His  great  name. 

EDWARD  IRVING. 


Caxkmonian  Church. 

January  J  182r>. 


THE 

MISSIONARY  CHARTER; 


Messiah's   instructions   to  the  first  missionaries,being  the 
ground-%vork  of  the  following  orations. 

INIATTHEW,  CHAP.  X.  VER.  5—42. 

These  twelve  Jesus  sent  forth,  and  commanded  them,  saying',  C,o 
not  into  the  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  into  any  city  of  the  Samaritans 
enter  ye  not.  But  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel. 
And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand- 
Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers,  raise  the  dead,  cast  out  devils  : 
freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give.  Provide  neither  gold,  nor  silver, 
nor  brass,  in  your  purses :  nor  scrip  for  your  journey,  neither  two 
coats,  neither  shoes,  nor  yet  staves;  (for  the  workman  is  worthyof 
his  meat.)  And  into  whatsoever  city  or  town  ye  shall  enter,  inquire 
who  in  it  is  worthy  ;  and  there  abide  till  ye  go  thence.  And  when  ye 
come  into  an  house,  salute  it.  And  if  the  house  be  worthy,  let  your 
peace  come  upon  it :  but  if  it  be  not  worthy,  let  your  peace  return  to 
you.  And  whosoever  shall  not  receive  you,  nor  hear  your  words, 
when  ye  depart  out  of  that  house  or  city,  shake  off  the  dust  of  your 
feet.  Verily  I  say  unto  yon.  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the  land  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  in  the  day  of  judgment  than  for  that  city.  Be- 
hold, I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves  :  be  ye  therefore 
wise  as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves.  But  beware  of  men :  for 
they  will  deliver  you  up  to  the  councils,  and  they  will  scourge  you  in 
their  synagogues.  And  ye  shall  be  brought  before  governors  and 
kings  for  my  sake,  for  a  testimony  against  them  and  the  Gentiles. 
But  when  they  deliver  you  up,  take  no  thought  how  or  what  ye  shall 
speak  :  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  same  hourwhat  ye  shall  speak. 
For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  which 
speaketh  in  you.  And  the  brother  shall  deliver  the  brother  to  death, 
and  the  father  the  child :  and  the  children  shall  rise  up  against  their 
parents,  and  cause  them  to  be  put  to  death.     And  ye  shall  be  hTited 


ut  all  mtn  tor  my  iiaiuc's  sukc  :  but  lie  ihat  ( mlurctli  lo  llii;  cud  Miuii 
be  save  J.  But  when  they  persecute  you  in  this  city,  flee  ye  into 
another:  For  verily  1  !=ny  unto  you,  Yc  shall  not  have  gone  over  the 
rities  of  Israel,  till  tlic  Son  of  man  become.  The  disciple  is  not  above 
his  master,  nor  the  servant  above  his  lord.  It  is  enough  for  the  disci- 
ple that  he  be  as  his  master,  and  the  servant  as  his  lord.  If  they  have 
called  the  master  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  liow  much  more  shall  they 
call  them  of  his  household  .'  Fear  them  not  therefore :  for  there  is  no- 
thing covered,  tliat  shall  not  be  revealed :  and  hid,  that  shall  not  be 
known.  What  1  tell  you  in  darkness, //ia<  speak  ye  in  light;  and 
what  yc  hear  in  the  ear,  that  preach  ye  upon  the  house-tops.  And 
fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul : 
but  rather  fear  him  which  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell. 
Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  u  farthing  ?  and  one  of  them  shall  not 
fall  on  the  ground  without  your  Father.  But  the  very  hairs  of  your 
head  arc  all  numbered.  Fear  ye  not,  therefore  ;  yc  are  of  more  value 
than  many  sparrows.  Whosoever,  therefore,  shall  confess  me  before 
men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
Cut  whosoever  shall  deny  me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send 
peace  on  earth:  1  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword.  For  I  am 
tome  to  set  a  man  ut  variance  against  his  father,  and  the  daughter 
against  the  mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-iu- 
law.  And  a  man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  household.  He  that 
loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  rae,  is  not  worthy  of  me  :  and  he 
fliat  loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than  me,  is  not  wortliy  of  me.  And 
he  that  taketh  not  his  cross  and  followeth  after  me,  is  not  worthy  of 
me.  lie  that  findcth  his  life  shall  lose  it :  and  he  that  loseth  his  life 
for  my  sake  shall  find  it.  He  that  receiveth  you  receiveth  me  ;  and  he 
that  receiveth  mc  receiveth  him  that  sent  mc.  He  that  receiveth  a 
prophet,  in  the  name  of  a  prophet,  shall  receive  a  prophet's  reward; 
and  he  that  receiveth  a  righteous  man,  in  the  name  of  a  righteous 
man,  shall  receive  a  righteous  man's  reward.  And  whosoever  shall 
give  to  drink  unto  one  of  these  littlo  ones  a  cup  of  cold  xoatir  only  in 
lUe  name  of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wrs.e 
losf*  hi';  reward 


MISSIONARIES 


AFTER   THE 


APOSTOLICAL  SCHOOL. 


THE  OCCASION  AND  METHOD  OF  THE  ORATIONS. 


MEN,  BRETHREN,  AND  FATHERS, 

It.  hath  never  been  my  lot  to  be  present  Thenatmeoi 
on  occasions  hke  this,  so  as  to  gather  for  that  duty 
myself,  and  the  labours  of  my  ministry  SeachS^'be- 
have    hindred  me  from  going  about  ^o  ^^^^^^^f^-^.^^^ 
learn  of  others,  what  is  the  use  and  wont,  hath  to  pei- 
and  common  expectation  connected  with  """' "~~ 
the  annual  discourses,  which  are  preached  before 
the  guardians  and  friends  of  the  Misionary  Cause  ; 
so  that  I  stand  up,  inexperienced  and  ignorant,  to 
attempt  a  work  from  which  able  ministers  have 
shrunk  back   abashed,  and  to  which  the  ablest 
within  the  land  have  approached  with  fear  and 
trembling.     It  is,  therefore,  no  less  necessary  for 
the  re-assurance  of  my  own  mind,  than  it  is  expe- 
dient for  the  edification  of  this  enlightened  and 
spiritual  convocation  (if,  indeed,  I  may  hope  with- 
out presumption  to  edify  such,)  that  I  should  medi- 
tate beforehand  the  nature  of  the  office  which  I 
have  landertaken  ;  what  is  the  measure  of  my  re- 


I       For  .Mls-,U).\AKli:>   AFTKK    LHK  APO.'^TOI-.   SCJIOOJ.. 

>i[)onsibility  to  ("hrist  llic  luMtd  of  the  Clmrcli ;  and 
t(»  tlie  vciiorablo  Society  nhtch  Imtli  intrusted  me 
with  this  charge  ;  and  what  is  the  nature  of  m\ 
commission  to  the  midtitude  now  assembled  to 
hear  what  I  shall  speak. 

nottoeuio-  Thc  high   and  seated  dignity  whicli 

vices,  ^  ^'  this  Society  hath  attained  in  the  judg;- 
ment  of  the  Christian  church,  and  the  weighty  and 
well  earned  reputation  which  it  hath  obtained,  not 
in  Christendom  alone,  but  over  the  widest  bounds 
of  the  habitable  earth,  relieve  its  advocate  from 
the  dangerous  olfice  of  eulogy  and  panegyric, 
which  he  may  safely  leave  to  the  "  isles  and  the 
inhabitants  thereof,  to  the  wilderness  and  the  cities 
thereof,  to  the  villages  which  Kedar  doth  inhabit, 
and  to  the  tenants  of  the  rock."  Its  labours  also, 
uortonar-      and  the  labours  of  its  scrvants,  ou  every 

rale  the  ,.         .  •        i  i  i         •  i  *' 

procediiigs;  lorcign  sliorc,  its  blessed  toil  among  the 
barbarous  people  with  the  fruits  thereof. the  suffei- 
ings  and  deaths  ol"  its  true  and  trusty  messengers, 
or  their  return  in  godly  triumph,  attended  with  the 
spoils  of  idolatry  and  crowned  with  the  olive  crown 
of  peace,  their  gifts  of  tongues,  and  tlieir  interpre- 
tations of  tongues,  all  the  pious  rehearsal  of  its 
story,  with  the  pleasing  task  of  justifying,  appro- 
ving, and  applauding  its  various  proceedings,  lie 
may  likewise  decline  to  touch,  as  rightliilly  be- 
longing to  another  place  and  to  another  meeting, 
expressly  set  apart  lor  that  more  secular  end, — 
but  to  counsel  ^oly  asscmblics,  like  this,  which  are 
an.  I  instruct  the  opened   and   concluded  with  praise  and 

office  l)carers  '  i        i  •  •     •  r      i. 

anri  niPuiiars   praycr,  aiiu  wuerein    a   minister  oi    tne 
"•the  Society,  i^l^ygp^^    Gospcl   is  Called  to   discoursc 

from  the  Word  of  God,  before  the  Patrons,  Presi- 
dents, (inardians.  Oftice-bearers  and    Friends   n\' 


THE  OCGASlOiV  AND  METHOD  OF  THE  ORATIONS.         5 

the  Missionary  Cause,  ought  to  be  taken  up  witli 
higher  and  more  sacred  discourse  than  the  prais- 
ing of  men,  or  the  upholding  of"  man's  imperfect 
works.  The  preacher  hath  before  him  the  spirit- 
ual counsellors  of  the  heathen,  the  propagators  of 
the  faith  of  Christ;  who,  being  conscious  of  their 
insufficiency  for  such  a  trust,  and  knowing  how  they 
are  liable  to  decay,  and  fail  under  the  difficulties 
of  spiritual  work,  if  not  refreshed  ti-om  the  everlast- 
ing fountain  of  life  and  truth,  judge  it  wise  (and 
most  wise  surely  it  is,)  to  select  from  the  churches 
ordained  ministers  of  Christ,  who  may  discourse 
to  them  freely  and  largely  upon  the  cause  which 
they  have  set  their  hearts  and  strengthened  their 
hands  to  carry  forward.  For  such  an  end  they 
place  him  in  the  chair  of  verity,  and  put  into  his 
hands  the  oracles  of  God,  and  without  let  or 
hindrance  or  instructions  of  any  kind,  they  say, 
Brother,  as  thou  hast  freely  received,  to  us  freely 
bestow  of  the  gift  that  is  given  unto  thee. 

Now,  at  any  time,  it  is  a  high  commis-  winch  is  a 
sion  for  a  frail  mortal  to  publish  the  Gos-  SenS^ 
pel  of  Christ,  and  he  should  seek  for  his  ^"'^t 
soul  every  pious  help;  but  to  counsel  the  counsel- 
lors, to  judge  the  judges,  and  prophesy  to  one  of 
the  great  witnesses  of  the  church,  is  an  overw  helm- 
ing duty,  whose  approach  I  have  long  dreaded,  as 
of  a  mountain-billow  which  threatened   to  over- 
whelm my  scarce  sea- worthy  bark;  and  now  that 
it  is  at  hand  I  scarce  can  summon  strength  to  face 
it,  or  know  how  to  steer  through  it  safely.     God  be 
my  help !  1  have  hardly  proved  the  armour  of  this 
warfare,  before  I  am  called  to  give  counsel  to  the 
leaders  of  the  host,  and  the  assembled  camp.   The 
burden  is  too  great,  and  oppresseth  my  spirit,  and 


0  rOfi   MISSIO-NAKIKS    AK'IER  THE  APO.*?  1  OL.   .>5<  HOllL. 

1  Mould  lice,  like  the  prophet  Jonah,  Irom  declar- 
ing the  message  with  which  my  spirit  is  oppressed, 
were  there  not  a  heavy  wo  denounced  upon 
every  prophet  who  shunneth  to  declare  the  w  hole 
counsel  of"  God.  To  which  call  heing  obedient, 
the  call  of"  a  higher  authority  than  the  leaders  of 
the  host  and  the  assembled  camp,  even  of  him 
under  whose  commission  the  work  proceedeth,  1 
take  unto  myself  courage  to  declare  that  which  I 
have  long  apprehended,  which,  in  God's  word,  I 
have  w  ell  considered,  and  w  hereof  I  have  endea- 
voured to  be  well  assured. 

jiteto  In  casting  about  to  discover  in  what 

which  iiinc     ^y^y  J  n;iiorht  Strengthen  my  spirit  to  this 

iiotciblc  III-  *'  ^  ^  ^      . 

stances  oc-  highoccasion,and  in  what  style  itbecame 
imtol^^of  nie  to  address  this  very  grave  and  reve- 
ihe Church:  jend  asscmbly,  and  in  seeking  counsel 
of  the  Tiord  ;  it  pleased  him  to  recall  to  my  mind 
three  instances  in  the  history  of  the  Church, 
wherein  his  faithful  servants  have  been  called  to 
bear  testimony  before  assemblies  clothed  with  still 
higher  dignity  and  importance  than  this  before 
wliich  I  now  address  myself  to  speak.  The  first. 
1.  The  that  gravest  assembly  which  Christen- 
Synocur  dom  liath  ever  seen,  w  herein  the  Apos- 
lerusaiem.  ^Ics  and  Eldcrs  M  ith  the  Holy  Ghost  met 
in  Jerusalem,  to  consider  how  far  the  Gentiles 
were  to  be  bound  by  the  ordinances  oi  Moses. 
Applying  myself  humbly  to  learn  from  the  manner 
of  this  assembly,  whereof  we  have  a  j)articular  ac- 
count in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  tlie  Acts,  I  per- 
ceived that  Peter  and  James,  Apostles  though  they 
were,  and  inspired  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  framed  their 
discourse  with  a  diligent  reference  to  Scripture 
and  to  their  own  experience;  that  Paul  and  Rar- 


THE  OCCASION  AND  METIIOO  OF  THE  ORATIONS.        V 

nabas  for  their  argument  gave  a  simple  narrative 
of  what  God  had  wrought  among  the  Gentiles  by 
their  hand :  and  that  every  speaker  abstained  from 
words  of  poUcy,  address,  and  worldly  wisdom ;  in- 
somuch, that  there  is  found  in  the  whole  proceed- 
ings of  that  assembly,  neither  obsequiousness,  nor 
eulogy,  nor  idle  words  of  apology,  nor  general  com- 
mendations of  the  work ;  but  throughout,  a  devout 
spirit,  deliberative  wisdom,  plain-spoken  dis- 
course, and  a  steady  application  to  the  matter  in 
hand. 

The  second  instance  which  came  op-  2.  Tiie 
portunely  to  my  mind  while  deliberating  [^gfol'e^ihl 
of  this  exigency  in  which  I  am  placed,  ^'"8  and 
was  from  the  times  of  the  Reformation  ciuuhe 
of  England,  when  the  godly  Edward,  and  ,^^,f  J^" 
the  Protector,  with  the  chief  statesmen  i^ngianf!. 
and  office-bearers  of  the  realm,  were  wont  to  hear 
the  master  spirits  of  the  Protestant  faith  discourse 
before  them.  On  which  high  occasions  these  men, 
who,  next  to  the  Apostles,  were  the  best  Mission- 
aries that  Christendom  hath  seen,  valiant  men  and 
true,  who  sealed  their  testimony  with  their  blood, 
thought  it  beside  their  holy  office  to  eulogize  the 
most  gracious  youth  that  ever  filled  a  throne,  since 
the  days  of  good  Josiali ;  and  they  held  it  beneath 
their  office  to  smooth  down  the  stern  and  rugged 
voice  of  truth  to  the  car  of  the  princes  and  politi- 
cians who  sat  in  state  before  them :  but  like  pro- 
phets arisen  from  the  dead  (and  what  are  Christian 
preachers  but  the  prophets  of  the  New  Dispensa- 
tion,) they  fulfilled  their  office  by  thundering  into 
the  ears  of  king  and  peers,  of  courtiers  and  men 
of  war,  the  religious  necessities  of  the  realm,  and 
the  religious  duties  of  the  rulers  of  the  realm ;  for^ 


S      FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APO&TOL.  SCHOOL. 

as  you  may  still  see  by  the  writings  of  Ridley  and 
Latimer,  and  Gilpin,  there  were  in  the  discourses 
which  they  held,  no  panejtfyrics  of  the  work  of  re- 
formation yet  imperlbctly  done,  no  idle  commenda- 
tions of  the  Jabourers  in  the  work,  but  rebukes  of 
hungry  courtiers,  and  hollow-hearted  friends  of  the 
cause,  pictures  of  an  ignorant  and  famished  peo- 
ple, enumerations  of  the  religious  wants  and  abuses 
of  the  realm,  plans  of  spiritual  and  charitable  un- 
dertakings, with  a  restless  urgency  towards  the 
high  mark  of  the  people's  thorough  reformation. — 
And  sermons  such  as  these  were  fruitful  things,  as 
the  noble  foundation  of  Christ's  Hospital  doth  tes- 
iify,  which  was  the  offspring  of  one  of  these  fearless 
j)leadings  for  the  sake  of  truth. 
3.  Tiic  The  last  instance,  by  the  authority  of 

I'cforcthe  which  I  cmboldcn  myself  to  the  under- 
Asrcmbiy  taking  of  this  discourse,  is  derived  from 
of  the  a  quarter  to  which  I,  at  least,  and  I  trust 

Scotland.  all  judicious  and  charitable  Christians 
along  with  me,  look  with  like  satisfaction  as  to  the 
other  two, — the  church  from  whose  members  one 
of  the  least  worthy  hath  been  chosen  this  night  to 
hold  forth  to  you  the  word  of  truth.  The  national 
assembly  of  the  Kirk  of  Scotland, — which  is  b)' 
far  the  most  venerable  relict  of  ecclesiastical  dig- 
nity, a  sort  of  house  of  commons  to  the  Church  oi 
Christ,  and  which  ere  this  time  would  have 
wrought  out  for  the  religious  rights  of  man  what- 
ever the  House  of  Commons  hath  for  his  civil  rights, 
had  not  the  strong  and  villain  hand  of  power 
brought  in  Patronage  against  the  Claim  of  Rights 
and  the  solcmnest  faith  of  treaties, — that  assembly 
(whose  pious  labour,  now  about  to  commence, 
may  the  Lord  bless!")  doth  never  sit  down  to  deli- 


y 


THE  OCCAblON*  A^f>  METHOD  OF    J  HF.  OKATIO-VS.        il 

berale  upon  tlie  grave  matters  corniiiittcd  to  its 
trust  without  first  appointing  one  of  the  Brethren 
to  discourse  before  it  from  the  Word  of  God. — 
Upon  which  occasion  the  preachers,  of  whom  I 
have  heard  many,  do  never,  even  in  these  degene- 
rate dajs  of  pulpit  liberty,  condescend  to  flattery 
of  the  learned,  reverend,  and  noble  personages  be- 
fore them,  nor  to  empty  eulogies  of  the  church ; 
but,  as  beseemeth  the  minister  of  truth  and  the 
chair  of  verity,  thc}^  maintain  a  grave  and  serious 
discourse  upon  the  high  matters  for  which  the  ec- 
clesiastical estate  of  the  nation  is  assembled,  and 
give  forth  with  authority  the  Doctrine,  Reproof, 
Correction,  and  Instruction  in  righteousness,  for 
which  all  Scripture  is  given  by  the  inspiration  of 
God,  and  for  the  promulgation  of  which  this  office 
of  the  ministry  is  maintained  on  the  earth. 

Which  three  instances— of  the  Aposto-  or  which 
lie  age,  of  the  Reformationof  England,  and  ^e  propose 
of  the  General  Assemblies  of  the  Church  deis'in  tiii" 
of  Scotland, — coming  seasonably  to  my  ""^'^^taking ; 
reciollection,  while  I  was  in  doubt  and  much  dis- 
may, concerning  that  which  I  had  undertaken,  I  re- 
solved to  establish  my  feet  upon  them  as  upon  a 
sacred  tripod;  and  to  crave  of  the  Lord,  as  indeed 
I  have  done,  to  breathe  upon  me  of  the  spirit  of 
the  great  Fathers  in  his  church,  that  I  might  be 
enabled  to  speak  at  this  time,  in  that  bold  and  fear- 
less style,  in  which    they,  standing  in  my  room* 
would  have  dared  to  speak.     For  1  said  unto  my- 
self: Though  all  the  Missionary  Societies  of  this 
land  were  assembled  within  these  walls, they  would 
not  form  so  grave  an  assembly  as  that  which  met 
in  Jerusalem  in  the  primitive  times  ;  neither  hath 
the  work  on  which  thej  are  entered  yet  grown  to 


10  FOR  MISblONAKIES  Al  'H:k    lllK  APOSTOL.  S(  lloul  . 

be  FO  creat  a  work  as  the  Reformation  of  Encrland. 
whereof  the  Missionary  work  is  but  one  of  the  chil- 
dren ;  and  tliis  assembly,  however  reverend,  is  not 
yet  so  veneral)le  as  the  great  dehberative  assem- 
bly of  our  national  church,  which  for  three  centu- 
ries liath  maintained  the  fear  and  discipline  of 
God  within  a  realm,  and  once  or  twice,  nay  thrice, 
saved  the  realm  from  the  armed  paw  of  vio- 
a«d  not  to  lence  and  misrule.  Therefore,  I  said  fur- 
^rve"^'"?'  ^^^^  ""^^  myselfi  I  will  not  shrink  back 
"rhc  bv  ihte-  abashed  from  the  full  and  fearless  decla- 
n>s,sofmen;^^ti^j^  of  what  sccmcth  to  mc  right:  I 
will  not  sink  my  oifice  into  that  of  a  money -gatherer, 
or  a  tale-bearer,  of  an  advocate  of  institutions, 
however  good,  or  a  worshipper  of  mortal  men,  how- 
ever excellent;  butl  will  be  a  teacher  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  a  publisher  of  the  praise  of  Christ,and  will 
not  shun  to  deliver  the  whole  counsel  of  God,  upon 
this  all-important  matter  of  the  Missionary  work: 
and  I  will  speak  it  with  the  more  plainness 
because  the  heads  and  leaders  thereof  are  now 
beibre  me,  that  haply  the  Lord  may  carry  the 
principles,  which  1  am  about  to  deduce  from  his 
holy  word,  into  the  Court  and  Citadel  of  this  great 
and  glorious  cause,  to  which  our  countrymen, 
ever  forward  and  ever  foremost  in  a  good  work, 
have  set  their  shoulKer,  resolved  to  maintain  it 
unto  the  death. 
but  10 uphold       But   when  I  took  to  myself  this   hich 

Messiah's  „  •      •  /.  ii-  ii  i 

instn.ciions  commission  ot  counsclluig  the  counsel- 
ITs'thclrcat'^'  lors,  and  judging  the  judges  of  this  great 
charter  and     Undertaking,!  besought  the  Lord,  that 

complete  ,  ,  1      ^  iV     I  i  .  i 

Ruideof  the  he  would  cast  out  all  thoughts  and  con- 
Work°"an'd  to  clusioiis  wliich  had  their  origin  in  myself, 
plead  ft)r Mis-  all  feaps  and  apprehensions  which  came 


THE  OCCASION  AND  METHOD  OF  THE  ORATIONS.      1 1 

in  from  other  quarters,  and  that  he  would  sionaries  after 

^  PI  1        /•      !•  J    the  Aposto- 

makeoi  my  organs  oi  thought,  leehng,  and  licai  Schooi. 
speech,  an  instrument  wherewith  to  declare  the 
mind  and  will  of  His  Holy  Spirit  of  truth.  And, 
that  I  might  not  be  wanting  in  my  duty  of  search- 
ing his  revelation,  I  examined  every  where  for  a 
basis  and  as  it  were  a  constitutional  charter  of 
missionary  associations,  and  a  rule  for  them  to 
proceed  by  in  all  their  transactions.  And  having 
found,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  for  reasons  which  I'shall 
show  hereafter,  such  an  abiding  constitution,  four 
times  repeated  in  the  Gospels,  and  given  at  large 
in  the  tenth  chapter  of  Mathew,  which  1  have  read 
as  the  ground  of  this  discourse;  I  gave  thanks, 
and  said: — Now  my  way  is  clear  before  me;  I 
will  be  an  expositor  of  these  instructions  of  my 
Redeemer;  here  is  the  matter  of  my  discourse; 
here  are  the  everlastino;  instructions  of  the  Mis- 
sionary;  this  let  me  endeavour  to  comprehend, 
and  set  forth  unto  the  people.  And  being,  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  directed  of  God,  both  in  the  matter 
and  manner  of  this  discourse,  I  gave  thanks,  and 
took  courage,  and  being  delivered  from  my  fears, 
I  now  proceed  upon  my  course  rejoicing,  and  hope 
to  steer  safely  through  that  mountain-billow,  whose 
rough  top  came  threatening  to  overwhelm  my 
scarce  sea-worthy  bark. 

Having  entered  with  caution,  I  resolved  ^^^^ 
next  to  proceed  with  order  in  handling  method  of  the 
this  great  question   of    the    Missionary 
Work,  and  it  seemed  to  me  best  to  set  forth  my 
thoughts  after  the  following  method : 

First.  To  give  an  exposition  of  the  Missionary 
estate,  as  it  is  laid  down  in  the  fore-mentioned 


12    FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOI, 

chapter  of"  instructions  given  by  Messiah  to  the  first 
apostles  of"  his  kingdom. 

Secondly.  To  examine  if  it  was  meant  to  be 
of  continual  authority  in  the  Christian  Church,  as 
the  Constitution  of  Christian  Missions. 

Thirdly.  To  examine  how  much  of  the  success 
of  the  Apostolic  age  depended  upon  their  exact 
adherence  to  the  spirit  and  letter  of  this  Consti- 
tution. 

Fourthly,  To  show,  from  the  history  of  Chris- 
tian Missions  subsequent  to  the  primitive  times, 
that  they  have  been  prosperous  in  proportion  as 
they  conformed  to,  and  unsuccessful  in  proportion 
as  they  departed  from,  the  spirit  and  letter  of 
Messiah's  Constitution  for  the  Missionary  estate. 

Fifthly.  To  study  it  in  practice,  and  consider 
what  good  fruits  at  home,  whence  the  Missionaries 
go,  and  abroad  whither  they  proceed,  would  come 
from  the  exact  fulfilment  of  it. 

Sixthly.  To  explain  the  office  of  a  Missionary 
Society  in  carrying  it  into  eflfcct. 

Lastly.  To  show  the  duty  of  private  Christians 
to  support  all  such  institutions,  as  endeavour  to  con- 
form themselves  to  the  appointment  of  the  Lord, 
and  to  keep  on  the  great  work  of  converting  the 
nations. 

So  that  our  whole  discourse  will  be  an  argument 
founded  upon  our  Lord's  words,  and  concluding 
ibr  the  support  of  this  cause  for  which  we  are  as- 
sembled, and  througout  instructing  those  who  are 
engaged  therein.  Now,  brethren,  I  ask  your  pa- 
tience, the  patience  of  this  religious  and  Christian 
assembly,  to  hear  me  at  length  upon  this,  the  most 
important  question  of  the  present  times;  and  not 
to  restrict  me  to  the  bounds  which  are  observed  in 


THE  OCCASION  AND  METHOD  OF  THE  OKiATIONS.     13 

ordinary  discourses,  but,  as  they  do  in  the  courts 
of  justice,  and  the  national  assemblies,  to  give  me 
a  latitude  commensurate  with  the  weight  and  im- 
portance of  the  question,  which  not  of  my  own  will, 
but  by  request  of  this  great  Society,  I  come  for- 
ward to  advocate. 

According  to  this  plan,  the  first  thing  to  be  con- 
sidered is  the  Office  of  the  Missionary,  as  it  is  laid 
down  in  these  words  of  Messiah,  who  himself  was 
Heaven's  high  Missionary  to  the  earth,  and  fulfilled 
to  the  letter  every  one  of  the  instructions  which  he 
gave  unto  those  who  should  travel  in  his  footsteps. 


ORATION  I. 

MESSIAH'S  CONSTITUTION  FOR  THE  MISSIONAlll 
ESTATE. 

When  kings  send  out  ambassadors  to 
represent  their  person  and  their  interests  "^H^^X' 
in  foreiffn  courts,  they  choose  out  from  out  his  en- 

o     _  ,       *'  r.  I  •    1  voys  ana  set 


forth  his  un- 
dertakings, 
with  imposing 


amongst  the  people,  men  of  high  name 
and  reputation,  well  skilled  in  the  ways 
of  the  world,  and  the  policy  of  states ;   pomp  and 

•  1       I       1        •   1  1  circuin- 

whom,  havmg  clothed  with  powers  pie-  stance, 
nipotentiarj,  and  appointed  with  officers 
and  servants   of  every  kind,  they  send  forth,  ac- 
credited with  royal  letters  to  all  courts  and  king- 
doms, whither  they  may  come,  furnished  with  grace 
and   splendour  to  feast  the  common  eye,  and  la- 
den with  rich  gifts  to  take  the  cupidity  or  conciliate 
the  favour  of  those  with  whom  they  have  to  do.  Al- 
so, when  a  nation  litteth  out  a  journey  or  ^^  ^^.^^^ 
voyage  of  discovery,  as  we  now  do  to  the  «;icntific 
Polar   Seas  Twhich   as  it   is  the    third     ""^ 
time,  may  it  be  blessed  with  threefold  success !) 
they  choose  out  men  of  fortitude,  humanity  and 
skill,  upon  whom  to  bestow  a  valorous  and  steady 
crew,  who  will  not  be  daunted  by  the  dangers,  nor 
baffled  by  the  difficulties  of  the  work;  and  having 
called  in  the  whole  science  and  art  of  the  coun- 
try, to  fortify  and  accommodate  the  danger-hunt- 
inff  men,  they  launch  them  forth  amidst  the  heartv 


lb    FOR  MlasIO.VARlES  AFTER  THE  APOsTOL.  SCHOOL. 

cheers  and  benedictions  of  their  country.  And  when 

a  nation  arrayeth  its  strength  to  battle 

Miight'yanrt     lor  its  ancicnt  rights  and  dominions ;  or 

terrible  whcn  a  iioblc  nation  armeth  in  the  cause 

preparation ;  ,. ,  .  .  , 

of  humanity  to  help  an  nisulted  sister  in 
the  day  of  her  need,  as  the  Britons  have  oft  been 
called  upon  to  do,  the  nation  is  shaken  to  her 
very  centre  with  commotion,  and  every  arm  and 
sinew  of  the  land  straineth  to  the  w  ork.  Fleets  and 
armies,  and  munitions  of  war;  the  whole  chivalry, 
the  whole  prowess,  strength  and  policy,  and  oft, 
the  whole  wealth  of  the  land  muster  in  the  cause ; 
and  the  chiei  captains  forsake  their  wives  and 
children,  and  peaceful  homes;  and  the  warlike 
harness  is  taken  from  the  hall  where  it  hung  in 
peace;  and  the  bold  peasantry  come  trooping  from 
their  altars  and  their  household  hearths;  and* the 
trumpet  speaketh  to  the  armed  throng :'  they  ga- 
ther into  one,  and  descend  unto  the  shores  of  the 
surrounding  sea,  whither  every  fleet  ship  and  gal- 
lant sailor  have  made  ready  to  bear  them  to  the 
place  where  the  rights  of  the  nation, or  the  insulted 
rights  of  humanity  cry  upon  their  righteous  arm 
for  redress :  and  their  kinsmen  follow  them  with 
their  prayers,  and  their  wives  and  children,  their 
fathers,  and  the  households  of  their  fathers,  with 
the  assembled  congregations  of  the  people,  com- 
mit them  and  their  righteous  cause  to  the  safe 
conduct  and  keeping  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 
^     ^      ^,        But,  when  the  King  of  Heaven  sendeth 

but  choosetn      ,.11  ■         '^       •  ^  • 

menofno  tortli  tlicsc  twclvc  ambassadors  to  the 
cT.ndition.  nations,  fitteth  out  these  discoverers  of 
the  people  that  sat  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of 
death, and  furnisheth  forth  this  little  army  to  subvert 
the  thrones,  dominion'^,  principalities  and  po\\er9 


THE  WISSIOxNAKY  CONSTITUTION.  tr 

v^l  darkness  which  brooded  over  the  degenerate 
earth,  to  bring  forth  the  lost  condition  of  humanity, 
and  establish  its  crown  of  glory  as  at  the  first :  he 
took  men  of  no  name  nor  reputation, endowed  with 
no  Greek,  with  no  Roman  fame,  by  science  untaught, 
by  philosophy  unschooled,  fishermen  from  the 
shores  of  an  inland  sea,  the  class  of  men,  which 
of  all  classes  is  distinguished  for  no  exploit  in  the 
story  of  the  world ;  Galileans,  a  people  despised 
of  the  Jews,  who  were  themselves  a  despised  peo- 
ple. As  at  first,  when  God  wished  to  make  a  man 
in  his  own  image,  after  his  own  likeness,  he 
brought  not  the  materials  from  heavenly  regions,  / 
neither  created  a  finer  quintesj^ence  of  matter  for  / 
t  he  high  occasion,  but  took  from  the  ground  a  hand- 
ful of  dust,  thereon  to  impress  his  divine  image, 
and  thereinto  to  breathe  the  spirit  of  lives  ;  so  the 
Son  of  God,  himself  a  servant,  despised  and  rejec- 
ted of  men,  when  he  chose  vessels  to  bear  his 
name  before  Gentiles  and  Kings,  and  the  Children 
of  Israel,  preferred  that  they  should  be  empty  of 
human  greatness,  without  any  grace  or  comeliness 
in  the  sight  of  man,  without  any  odour  of  a  good 
name,  or  rich  contents  of  learning  or  knowledge  : — 
that  the  treasure  being  in  earthen  vessels,  the 
praise  might  be  of  God. 

Such  men  having  chosen,  for  subverting  the  an- 
cient thrones  of  darkness,  and  recovering  the  world 
from  the  perdition  of  sin  and  the  night 
of  the  grave,  he  sent  them  forth,  destitute  [E'frmn*' 
of  all  visible  sustenance,  and  of  all  human  natural  de- 
help,  and  forbade  them,  to  be  beholden  '"^'  ''"'^"''' 
unto  any.     "  Take  nothing  for  your  journey;  nei- 
ther staves,  nor  scrip,  neither  bread,  neither  money, 
neither  have  two  coats  a-piece:   Provide  neither 


lii  FiJK  MlhflUNAKlLh  Al'iER    IIIL  APOSTOL.  JtCHOUL. 

gold  ijor  silver,  nor  brass,  in  your  purses,  nor  scrip 
for  your  journej,  neither  have  two  coats,  neither 
shoes,  nor  yet  staves,  and  salute  no  man  by  the 
way."'  No  means  of  any  sort  did  he  permit  for 
procuring  the  necessaries  of  life,  or  purchasing  the 
helps  of  their  journey  ;  no  store  of  provisions,  nor 
even  a  scrip  lor  containing  what  might  be  offered 
them  by  the  pity  or  piety  of  the  people :  No  rai- 
ment nor  vesture,  with  the  change  of  which  to  com- 
fort their  weary  and  way-w orn  limbs,  besides  what 
was  sufficient  for  nature's  modesty  and  her  present 
necessity.  Without  staff,  without  shoes,  they  fared 
on  their  way  two  by  two  ;  their  sandalled  feet 
exposed  to  dust  and  sultry  heat  ;  their  bodies 
to  every  blast  of  heaven ;  their  natural  wants  to 
man's  precarious  charity.  The  most  defenceless 
bird  that  flies  athwart  the  heavens,  the  weakest, 
most  persecuted  beast  that  cowers  beneath  the 
t:overt,  or  scuds  along  the  plain,  are  better  pro- 
vided with  visible  help  than  were  these  Apostles  of 
the  Highest :  for  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests  to 
which  to  wing  their  flight  at  even  tide,  and  the 
beasts  of  the  earth  have  holes  wherein  to  screen 
themselves  from  pursuit ;  but  the  founders  of  the 
spiritual  and  everlasting  kingdom  had  not  where 
to  lay  their  head. 

andcutteth  Whom  haviug  thus  divided  from  the 
r"^^"' .^v!l  K.ir,   resources  which  human  w  eakness  hath  in 

iroin  the  help 

of  man,  tlic  storc-housc  and  armoury  ot  nature, 
he  next  divided  from  the  resources  which  she  hath 
in  the  power  and  patronage  and  friendship  of  men. 
They  are  to  compose  no  speeches  for  the  ears  of 
prince  or  governor,  but  to  speak  as  the  Spirit  of 
Truth  gave  them  utterance;  they  are  not  to  go 
Vrom  house  to  house  making  friends  against  the  evil 


IHE  MISSIONARY  CONSTntUOA.  jO 

day,  but  to  abide  where  they  first  halted,  so  long- 
as  they  are  welcome ;  they  are  not  even  to  salute 
a  friend,  acquaintance,  or  neighbour  by  the  way. 
And  if,  in  spite  of  these  preventions,  it  should 
come  to  pass  that  the  people  they  conferred  with, 
well  disposed  to  them  for  their  word's  sake,  should 
take  pity  upon  their  unprovided  estate,  and  offer 
them  money  to  help  them  on  their  way;  lo,  they 
have  no  purse  for  containing  it !  if  they  should 
offer  them  provision  to  be  their  viaticum  from 
town  to  town ;  lo,  they  have  no  scrip  wherein  to 
bestow  it !  They  cannot  possess,  they  cannot  ac- 
cumulate, they  are  cut  off  and  separate  from  all 
fixed  and  moveable  v*'ealth  which  the  Avorld  hold- 
eth  within  its  fair  and  ample  bound.  What  will 
preserve  life,  they  are  to  take  upon  the  credit  of 
their  universal  message,  w  ithout  feeling  obligation, 
for  the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  meat,  and  they 
are  wholly  obliged  to  another  cause.  In  no  earth- 
ly shape  can  they  benefit  from  their  labours  under 
the  sun;  to  no  account  can  they  turn  the  children 
of  men,  from  whose  liberality  they  can  profit  no 
further  than  to  live.  Like  Jonah,  commissioned 
with  the  burden  of  Nineveh,  they  are  to  gird  up 
their  loins  and  make  speed ;  they  are  to  hie  from 
house  to  house,  and  hasten  from  town  to  tow^n,  in- 
quiring after  the  spirits  of  immortal  men ;  to  tell 
their  tale  and  hurry  onward :  as  the  heralds  of  the 
northern  chiefs  were  wont  to  hasten  from  house  to 
house,  and  village  to  village,  when  rousing  the 
mountain-clans  to  war. — And  cause  truly  see  I 
none,  why  they  who  hold  the  commission  to  make 
peace  should  not  be  as  fleet  as  those  who  hold 
the  commission  to  levy  war,  and  the  messenger  of 
salvation  fly  with  as  hasty  a  wing  as  the  messen- 


20    FOR  MISSIOXAHIEfcf  AFTER  THK  AH>STOL.  bCh/OOI » 

ger  of  death ;  why  servants  should  not  be  found  to 
do  as  much,  and  to  do  it  as  hastily,  for  the  King 
of  Heaven,  as  tor  the  lordly  chieftain  of  a  moun- 
tain-clan, or  the  throned  monarch  of  a  mighty 
land. 

a.idapprizcih  Thus  disfumishcd  of  resources  from 
tijun.ofthe  Nature's  storehouse,  and  hindered  from 
bloody  issues  ploughiug  With  humau  liclp,  do  you  ask 
of  the  work;    j^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^^  Missiouarics  of  the  Gospel 

had  promises  of  welcome  every  where,  and  went 
forth  on  a  flourishing  and  popular  cause?  if  the 
way  was  prepared  for  them  in  every  city?  and  a 
hospitable  home  made  ready  for  them  in  every 
house?  Hear  what  their  Lord  saith  to  them  at 
parting:  "Go  your  ways,  behold  I  send  you  as 
sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves.  Beware  of  men,  for 
they  will  deliver  you  up  to  the  councils,  and 
they  will  scourge  you  in  their  synagogues,  and 
ye  shall  be  brought  before  governors  and  kings  for 
my  sake,  and  the  brother  shall  deliver  up  the  bro- 
ther, and  the  father  the  child,  and  the  children 
shall  rise  up  against  the  parents  and  cause  them 
to  be  put  to  death,  and  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all 
men  for  my  name's  sake."  Such  was  their  heavy 
parting.  No  Missionary  that  ever  went  to  the 
heathen,  fared  fortli  on  his  way  with  so  gloomy  a 
foreboding,  so  cheerless  a  farewell.  Let  no  one 
object,  in  the  face  of  these  predictions  too  truly 
fultilled  ;  "  But  these  are  not  men  like  us,  open  to 
every  want:  they  are  inspired  miracle-working 
men  who  had  nature  under  their  control.''  '^J'heir 
miracles,  which  saved  many,  protected  not  them- 
selves; their  inspirations,  which  blessed  many, 
could  not  bless  themselves  from  every  harm  and 
.sorrow  wiiich  patient   nature  can  endure.      They 


THE  MISSIONARY  CONSTITUTIOx\.  21 

are  to  be  placed  at  the  bar  of  civil  law,  to  be  hunt- 
ed out  with  religious  persecution ;  against  them 
the  tender  affections  of  life  are  to  rise  in  arms,  and 
the  soft  and  downy  scenes  of  home  are  to  bristle 
like  the  iron  front  of  war ;  the  tender  hands  which 
are  wont  to  pluck  the  thorns  of  sorrow  from  our 
feet,  are  to  guide  the  weapons  of  their  death ;  of 
all  men  thej  are  to  be  hated  for  his  name's  sake : 
they  are  to  be  hunted  like  the  partridge  on  the 
mountains,  and  every  refuge  upon  the  earth  is  to' 
be  hidden  from  their  sight  Go,  said  he,  my 
chosen  ones,  go  like  the  defenceless  lamb  into  the 
paw  of  the  ravenous  wolf:  the  world  thirsteth  for 
your  blood,  and  is  in  arms  against  your  undefend- 
ed Hves.  Nevertheless,  go.  You  are  without 
weapons  of  defence,  no  bribes  are  in  your  hands, 
nor  soft  words  upon  your  tongues ;  and  you  go  in 
the  teeth  of  hatred,  derision,  and  rage.  Neverthe- 
less, my  children,  go. 

They  are  launched  into  a  stormy  sea,  ^^''•'^^  ««^n»- 
a  sea  of  storms  and  shipwreck  is  before  alid^ridi'cu- 
them,  and  their  frail  bark  is  not  fenced  lye'jf th? 
or  fitted  out  for  any  storm,  or  furnished  faithless  and 
for  any  voyage.  So  the  world  would  say,  world ; 
because  so  it  seemeth  in  the   eye  of  the  world, 
which  looketh  but  upon  the  visible  and  temporal 
forms  of  things.     It  is  madness,  they  would  say, 
moon-struck  madness,  to  think  that  of  such  should 
come  any  speed ;  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  things 
they  should  exist  a  week  in  any  region  of  the  earth, 
and  in  barbarous  regions  not  a  single  day:  no  po- 
licy of  insurance  would  do  their  risk  at  any  pre- 
mium :    they  are  ship-wrecked,   cast-away  crea- 
tures, doomed  to  death,  and  destined  to  effect  no 
good  even  if  they  should  outlive  Iheii-  first  outset- 


22   FUR  MlSblONAKlEb  AFTER  THE  APOft TOL.  SCHOOL. 

ting.  Men  must  liave  a  livelihood  before  they  can 
speak  or  act :  they  must  have  protection  to  cover 
them  from  the  tyranny  of  power,  and  law  to  save 
them  from  the  riots  of  the  people :  tliey  must  be 
well  paid  if  you  would  have  them  work  well,  for 
if  a  man  have  no  comforts  his  life  is  miserable. — 
What!  such  mendicants  as  these  convert  the 
world  !  say  the  well-conditioned  classes  ;  vagrant, 
vagabond  fellows,  they  are  fitter  for  the  stocks  or 
the  common  jail.  Such  illiterate  clowns,  such  bab- 
blers as  these,  instruct  mankind  !  say  the  learned 
classes;  away  with  them  to  their  nets  and  fishing- 
craft.  And,  say  the  political  classes,  it  is  danger- 
ous to  the  state  ;  they  cover  plots  under  their  silly 
pretences,  and  must  be  dealt  with  by  the  strong 
hand  of  power.  Methinks  I  hear,  in  every  con- 
temptible and  arrogant  speech  which  is  vented 
against  the  modern  iMissionaries  by  worldly  and 
self-sufficient  men,  the  echo,  after  two  thousand 
years,  of  those  speeches  which  were  wont  to  be 
poured  upon  the  twelve  apostles  and  seventy  dis- 
ciples, when  they  began  to  emerge  out  of  the  foun- 
dalion  of  society,  into  the  neighbourhood  and  level 
of  its  higher  ranks. 

but  is  wisely  But  the  WonderfulCouusellor,  in  whom 
iutendedjo^  dwclt  all  the  trcasurcs  of  wisdom  and  of 
for,  and  raise  kuowlcdgc,  and  w  ho  kucw  what  was  in 
theworst'*^'  man,  did  not  without  good  and  sufficient 
.^oif'l^^^T  cause  divorce  the  human  desires  from 
against  thorn,  thosc  objccts  on  which  they  naturally 
rest.  He  knew  that  if  he  gave  the  messengers  of 
his  kingdom,  which  is  not  of  this  world,  and 
against  which  this  world  conspireth,  to  expect  any 
ray  of  hope,  any  shadow  of  consolation,  or  scant- 
ling of  support   from  the  things  of  this  world-  it 


rHE  MISSIONARY  CONSTITUTION.  23 

would  be  only  to  disappoint  them  in  the  end :  for 
though  he  foresaw  that  fiiir  weather  would  dawn 
and  much  enjoyment  be  partaken  in  the  progress 
and  towards  the  latter  end  of  the  work,  he  saw, 
hanging  over  its  first  beginnings  in  every  region  of 
the  earth,  storms  and  tempests,  and  terrific  com- 
motions, out  of  which  the  eclipsed  light  of  truth 
was  to  come  forth,  and  the  day  of  peace  to  be  es- 
tablished ;  He  knew  that  in  every  realm  his  truth 
was  to  make  way  against  the  edge  of  the  sword, 
and,  like  the  phoenix,  to  procreate  itself  in  the' 
flame  of  fire,  and  that  his  servants  were  to  be  heard 
from  the  paw  of  the  lion  and  from  the  horn  of  the ' 
unicorn:  wherefore  it  booted  not  to  amuse  those 
who  were  to  plant  the  plant,  and  those  who  were 
to  propagate  the  plant,  with  the  enjoyments  which 
were  to  be  partaken  under  its  future  shade ;  and 
he  spoke  plainly  unto  them  and  said,  If  ye  have  not 
a  heart  for  the  extremes  of  human  suffering,  and  a 
soul  above  the  fear  of  man,  ye  need  not  undertake 
this  work, — more  perilous  than  war,  more  adven- 
turous than  a  voyage  to  '  regions  of  thick-ribbed 
ice,'  and  more  important  to  the  earth  the  than 
most  sacred  legation  which  ever  went  forth  in  be- 
half of  suffering  and  insulted  humanity. 

But  while  he  cut  them  off  from  the  Andiheyaie 
power   and   virtue   of  gold  and   silver,  thus  stripped 

r  Ml  I        1     1  J         J.  ^""  made 

which,  they  say,  will  unlock  barred  gates  bare  in  order 
and  scale  frowning  ramparts;  while  he  with^spTrituai 
denied  them  the  scrip,  and  therewith  '^^^^''^l  ^^^^ 
hindered  the  accumulation  or  use  of  pro-  nisheth  in  or- 
perty  in  any  form;  while  he  forbade  them  ^'^'  "' 
change  of  raiment,  that  is,  pleasure  and  accommo- 
dation of  the  person;  and  with  their  staff  interdiet- 
fd  all  case  of  travel  and  recreation  of  the  sense 


24    FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL, 

hy  the  way  ;  and  in  liindering  salutations  hindered 
the  formahtirs  of  life  and  the  ends  of  natural  or  so- 
cial affection;  all  these  the  natural  motives  to  enter- 
prize  and  the  sweet  rewards  of  success,  while  he  cut 
asunder,  because,  as  hath  been  said,  he  foresaw  that 
whether  he  did  so  or  not,  the  world  would  soon  do  it 
for  them;  he  did  not  leave  their  minds  in  a  void 
state,  without  motive  or  inducement  or  hope  of 
reward  ;  but  proceeded  to  fill  each  several  cham- 
ber thereof  with  the  spirit  of  a  more  enduring  pa- 
tience and  a  more  adventurous  daring;  to  give  to 
Faith  what  he  took  from  Sight ;  what  he  interdict- 
ed in  the  Visible  to  supply  from  the  Invisible; 
what  of  Temporal  things  he  spoiled  them  of  to  re- 
pay with  things  Spiritual  and  Eternal. 
ri.c  Mission-  And  instead  of  a  home  he  gave  them 
-dry's  iioinc.  ([{^q  declaration,  which  raised  them  first 
to  a  footing  with  himself,  and  then  to  a  footing 
with  God;  "He  that  receiveth  you  receiveth  me, 
and  he  that  receiveth  me  receiveth  him  that  sent 
me.  He  that  receiveth  a  prophet  in  the  name  of 
a  prophet,  shall  receive  a  prophet's  reward ; 
and  he  that  receiveth  a  righteous  man  in  the 
Tiic  Mission-  "^1"^  of  a  righteous  man,  shall  receive 
ary'sprovi-  a  rightcous  man's  reward."  Instead  of 
food,  he  gave  them  this  promise,  "  Who- 
ever shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of  these  little 
ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only  in  the  name  of  a  dis- 
ciple, verily  I  say  unto  you  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose 
The  Mission-  his  rcward."  Instead  of  protection  and 
tion.  "^  a  safe-conduct  on  the  way,  he  gave  them 
this  stout  hearted  admonition,  "  Fear  not  them 
which  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the 
soul :  but  rather  fear  him  which  is  able  to  kill  both 
soul  and  body  in  hell.     Are  not  two  sparfows  sold 


THE   MISSIONARY  CONSTITUTION.  2.) 

for  a  farthing  ?  and  one  of  them  shall  not  fall  to 
the  ground  without  your  Father.     But  the  very 
hairs  of  your  head  ^are  all  numbered.     Fear  ye 
not,   therefore;    ye   are   of  more  value  TheMis- 
than  many  sparrows."      And  when  de-  pas"po«^ 
livered  up  to  councils,  and  brought  before  gover- 
nors and  kings,  instead  of  human  help  andcoun- 
tenance,   and   skill   of  pleading   and    persuasive 
words,  he  gave  them  this  sentence :  "  When  they 
deliver  you  up,  take  no  thought  how  or  what  ye 
shall  speak,  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  hour 
what  ye  shall  speak.     For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak, 
but   the   spirit    of  your    Father   which  TheMis- 
speaketh    in    you."      And    when    their  famUy^^ 
fathers  and  mothers  should  betray  them,  and  their 
sons  and  daughters  should  spit  upon  them,  which 
the  first  confessors  sadly  proved,  he  gave  them 
this  consolation  to  their  heavy  hearts ;  "  He  that 
loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me,  is  not  wor- 
thy of  me,  and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more 
than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me."     For  their  The  Mis- 
sustenance    under   false   accusation,   he  defence^pou 
gave  them  this  comfort;  "The  disciple  his  trial. 
is  not  above  his  master,  nor  the  servant  above  his 
lord.     It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as 
his  master,  and  the  servant  as  his  lord.     If  they 
have   called  the  master  of  the  house  Beelzebub, 
how  much  more  shall  they  call  them  of  his  house- 
hold."    For  the  comfort  of  their  hearts  ^j^^  jyjj^ 
under  blackening  calumnies,  when  their  sionary's 
sun  of  life  was  setting  under  thick  and  wrongous""^ 
dark  clouds  of  falsehood,  and  their  name  J^^'g'"*^"' 
was  like  to  be  overshadowed  forever,  he   gave 
them  this  assurance ;  "  There  is  nothing  covered, 
that  shall  not  be  revealed:  and  hid  that  shall  not 


16    FOR  IVMSalONAUlEs   AFTLR   JJIT.   APu-lUl..   xiluol.. 

be  known.  What  I  tell  you  in  (larknobs,  that  tipcak 
ye  in  light :  what  ye  hear  in  tiic  car,  that  preach 
ye  on  the  house-tops.''  And  for  their 
sionary's  life  usc,  whcn  tjicy  wcFc  envelopccl  in  the 
inoeath.  flamcs.  oi' cxtcndcd  upon  the  honourable 
cross,  he  gave  them  this  heart  e:^staV)lishing-word; 
"He  that  taketh  not  his  cross,  and  tblloweth  at'ter 
me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.  He  that  fu.deth  his  lil'e 
shall  lose  it :  and  he  that  loselh  his  lilo  for  my 
The  sum  sakc  sliall  tind  it."  And  to  keep  up  a 
Missiona'i^'s  constinit  cheerltdiie^^b  in  their  hearts 
gain.  under  every  hardship  and  mistreatment, 

he  gave  them  to  know  and  to  rejoice,  that  their 
names  were  written  in  heaven ;  removing  their 
confidence  from  every  thing  terrestrial,  that  it 
might  rest  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  where  there  is 
iulness  of  joy  and  pleasures  for  evermore. 
So  that  he  Thus   fumishcd    he   his  Missionaries. 

Saf"'"  building  them  up  in  faith,  and  establish- 
. ondition,  ing  them  with  infallible  promise,  weaning 
them  from  the  bosom  of  the  earth,  to  place  them 
in  the  bosom  of  their  Father  in  heaven.  He  took 
them  from  the  hands  of  human  protection,  to  put 
them  under  the  arm  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob. 
He  emptied  them  of  self-dependence  and  depend- 
ence upon  human  strength  and  prudence,  to  fill 
them  with  the  Spirit  ot  wisdom  and  truth.  Hv 
bestowed  upon  them  the  elements  of  heaven's  he- 
roism when  he  took  from  them  the  elements  of 
earth's  heroism;  and  he  conveyed  their  treasures 
away  from  hence,  where  moths  corrupt  and  thieves 
break  through  to  steal,  depositing  them  saliely  in 
the  heavens ;  where  also  he  prepared  for  them  a 
place  in  his  Father's  house  ol  many  mansions,  and 
wrote,  their  honoured  names  iti  the  book  of  lite. 


% 


IHK.  MlSSIOiNARY  (  ONSTIl  LTIOX.  2/ 

It  was  a  spiritual  work  they  had  to  do,  andaspiiituai 
therefore  he  disembodied  (if  I  may  so  stnirothof 
speak)  and  spirituaHzed  the  men  who  ^eSaralKi 
were  to  do  it.  It  vvas  Faith  they  had  to  spintuaiwork. 
plant,  therefore  he  made  his  missionaries  men  of 
Faith,  that  they  might  plant  Faith,  and  Faith  alone  ; 
they  had  to  deliver  the  nations  from  the  idolatry 
of  the  Gold  and  the  Silver,  therefore  he  took  care 
his  messengers  should  have  iione :  they  had  to  de- 
liver them  from  the  idolatry  of  Wisdom,  therefore 
he  took  care  they  should  be  Foolish;  they  had  to 
deliver  the  world  from  the  idolatry  of  Power  and 
Might,  therefore  he  took  care  they  should  be 
Weak ;  they  had  to  deliver  the  world  from  the 
idolatry  of  Fame  and  Reputation,  therefore  he 
took  care  they  should  be  Despised ;  they  had  to 
deliver  the  world  from  the  idolatry  of  Things  that 
are,  therefore  he  took  care  they  should  be  as  Things 
that  are  not : — making  them  in  all  respects  Types 
and  Representatives  of  the  Ritual  they  were  to  es- 
tablish, models  of  the  doctrine  which  they  went 
forth  to  teach. 

Such  were  the  men,  and  such  the  spiri-  ^^^^"^  t*'^" 

1  •  /•  .  I  1  ^  equipment, 

tual  equipment  oi  the  men,  who  were  sent  fouow  their  in- 
forth  by  Messiah,  the  missionary  of  Hea-  wluchTrein 
ven,  into  all  the  world,  to  teach  all  nations  the  same  sphh. 
his  discipline,  baptize  them  iiito  his  faith,  and  lay 
the  foundations  of  that  spiritual  kingdom  which  is 
to  cast  down  every  other  kingdom,  and  endure  for 
ever.  Aid  the  instructiotis  which  he  gave  them, 
how  to  proceed  in  the  effecting  of  this  great  revo- 
lution, were  after  the  same  unearthly  and  spiritual 
strain  ;  such  as  the  wisdom  of  this  world  setteth 
utterly  at  naught,  yet,  wherein  are  contained  the 
everlasting  principles,  by   which  alone  the   Spi- 


28     FOK  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  Al'Ub TOL.  bCHOUl.. 

ritual  Sovereignty  over  the  souls  of  men  is  to  be 
established.  And  when  we  come,  in  the  progress  of 
this  discourse,  to  argue  upon  tliese  premises  where- 
of we  are  now  making  the  statement,  we  hope  to 
manifest  unto  the  spiritual  man,  and  somewhat  to 
discover  unto  the  natural  man.  that  this  and  this 
only  is  the  strength  in  which  the  Cross  is  to  con- 
quer and  subdue  the  Glory  and  the  strength  of  the 
nations. 

These  instructions  were  in  the  follow- 
m£on°being  ing  words :  "  Into  whatsoever  city  or 
to  the  most      town  ye   enter,  inquire  who  in  it  is  wor- 

worthy.  J  i  •  i         -n  i 

thy ;  and  there  abide  till  ye  go  thence. 
And  when  ye  come  into  an  house  salute  it.  And 
if  the  house  be  worthy,  let  your  peace  come  upon 
it:  but  if  it  be  not  worthy,  let  your  peace  return 
to  you."  They  were  not,  like  poor  Mendicants, 
to  go  from  door  to  door,  and  from  town  to  town, 
craving  a  morsel  of  bread  and  a  cup  of  water ;  bul 
like  the  Royal  Ambassadors  of  Heaven  to  the 
place,  they  were  to  inquire  who  was  most  worthy 
to  be  honoured  with  their  presence,  and  blessed 
with  the  good  tidings  which  they  bore  from  the 
Majesty  of  Heaven.  God  thus  established  the 
everlasting  connexion  between  natural  worth  and 
dispensations  of  grace,  by  bestowing  his  blessings 
upon  the  most  deserving ;  and  fulfilled  the  cardi- 
nal principle  not  only  of  divine  but  of  human  go- 
vernment, the  rule  of  all  natural  and  supernatural 
dispensations,  (for  at  bottom  these  are  one,)  "that 
unto  him  who  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall 
have  more  abundantly,  and  from  him  who  hath  not 
shall  be  taken  that  which  he  hath."  Inquire,  said 
he,  the  most  worthy.  There  w  as  to  be  no  stealthy 
progress,  nor  keeping  in  the  shade,  but  open  deal- 


THE  MISSIONARY  CONSTITUTIO.V.  29 

ing  with  the  most  open  hearted  and  even-minded 
of  the  people.  There  was  to  be  no  preference  of 
ranks  shown  by  these  men  of  no  rank,  who  count- 
ed kindred  with  Messiah,  the  missionary  of  Hea- 
ven, and  were  God's  adopted  children  and  ho- 
noured ambassadors  to  the  earth.  They  were 
not,  like  the  Jesuits,  to  lay  their  artful  toils  around 
the  high  and  noble  and  princely  of  the  nations ; 
nor  like  the  Mendicant  Friars,  to  go  about  preach- 
ing a  crusade  of  poverty  or  meanness ;  nor  were 
they  to  take  their  distinction  by  the  grade  of  intel- 
lect or  of  taste,  which  compose,  even  at  the  best, 
but  a  fractionary  part  of  human  nature,  and  may 
exist  in  strength  surrounded  with  the  most  dwarf- 
ish and  pestilent  forms  of  the  moral,  social  and 
spiritual  man :  but  like  messengers  and  mission- 
aries from  Heaven,  they  were  to  take  their  distinc- 
tion by  the  grade  of  worth,  or  practical  goodness; 
to  inquire,  whom  the  judgment  of  their  fellow-citi- 
zens had  pronounced  worthy,  judicious,  well  dis- 
posed men;  those  who,  like  Cornelius,  were 
devout  towards  God,  and  full  of  alms  towards  the 
poor;  or  who,  like  Dorcas,  employed  their  leisure 
and  their  labour  to  promote  good  and  charitable 
works  :  To  whose  house  coming  with  a  conscience 
full  of  heavenly  purposes,  and  lips  overflowing 
with  blessing,  and  hands  rich  in  heaven-derived 
powers,  they  were  to  salute  the  worthy  household 
with  a  salutation  of  peace. 

"  And  if  the  Son  of  Peace  be  there,  rj,^  ^^^^^ 
your  peace  will  abide  upon  it."     Before  houses  they 

*fi      •         .  1      1  •        •    •!  1  •     •         are  ushered 

their  steps  proceeded  an  invisible  minis-  by  the  Son 
ter  called  the  Son  of  Peace,  who  settled  °^^^^^^- 
in  these  worthy  habitations,  and  made  the  souls 
of  the  inmates  ready  for  these  Apostles  of  the 


'.iO   FOR  .M1SS)I0NARIES   AFTFIR  THE   APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

kingdom  of  Peace.     This  Son  of  Peace  is  none 
other  than  the  Prince  of  Peace,  who  sealed  liis 
instructions  to  his  missionaries  and  concluded  his 
incarnate  ministry,  with  these  words;  '•  Lo,  I  ara 
with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world  :'' 
the  same  who  appeared  to  Cornelius  in  a  dream, 
when  he  directed  him  to  Peter,  and  who  advertised 
Peter  of  the  approach  of  the  messengers,  after  he 
had  prepared  him  for  their  coming :  who  directed 
Philip  to  the  Eunuch  while  he  crossed  the  desert, 
and   caught  him  away  when  his  work  was  done : 
who  appeared  to  Paul  as  he  journeyed  to  Damas- 
cus, and  afterwards  in  the  likeness  of  a  Macedo- 
nian, invited  his  blessed  steps  to  our  quarter  of  the 
globe,  saying,  ''Come  over  and  help  us."     And,  to 
this  day,  wherever  the  true  and  faithful  missionary 
proceedeth  in  the  faith  of  Christ,  this  same  Son  of 
Peace  goeth  before  his  footsteps,  and  standeth  him 
instead  of  sealed  letters,   forerunner  and    guide, 
instead  of  safe-conduct  and  welcome,  and  every 
thin«^  else  with  which  the  prudence  of  men  would 
furnish    his    perilous    way;    without   dependence 
upon   which  Child  of  Peace,  the  missionary  is  a 
Vao-rant  and  a  Vagabond   upon  the  earth ;  being 
dependent  upon  whom,  he  is  the  most  gracious 
Legate  of  heaven,  never  to  return  to  heaven  with- 
out accomplishing  the  high  and  holy  intention  for 
which  he  is  commissioned  of  heaven  to  go  forth 
unto  the  nations. 

Being  welcomed  upon  the  strength  of 
ihcir  beha-  their  salutntiou  of  peace,  and  through  the 
rS^'"  predisposition  of  this  Son  ol  Peace,  with 
whom  God  blesseth  the  hearts  and  the  habitations 
of  worthy  men,  the  missionaries  sat  them  down 
and  were  rontont  wifh  anv  fare,  and  with  any  ar- 


TllE  iJISSIONARY  CONSTITt  TIO\.  31 

commodatlon.  A  little  bread  they  needed  to  feed 
their  natural  hunger,  a  little  water  to  cool  their 
natural  thirst,  a  little  space  to  stretch  their  weary 
limbs ;  and  in  return,  they  had  deep,  rich  and 
various  discourse  upon  the  moral  condition  of  man- 
kind, copious  and  faithtul  revelations  of  the  grace 
of  God,  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  to  the  sons  of 
men ;  and  in  earnest  of  that  salvation,  wherewith 
they  were  intrusted,  they  would  heal  the  sick, 
cleanse  the  lepers,  cast  out  devils,  and  raise  the 
dead.  Every  good  thing  which  can  be  wrought 
M'ithout  the  ministry  of  visible  and  temporal  powers; 
every  good  thing  which  holdeth  of  the  invisible, 
that  is,  every  consolation,  instruction,  counsel  and 
revelation  which  man's  condition  needeth,  they 
held,  by  free  gift  of  God  for  free  bequest  to  man ; 
and  all  that  they  needed  or  besought  in  return, 
was  a  morsel  of  bread  to  preserve  their  lives ;  a 
little  oil  to  feed  the  lamp  which  was  giving  light  to 
all  that  were  in  the  house.  And  they  made  no 
haste  to  be  gone,  neither  did  they  crave  liberty  to 
remain  ;  they  stayed  while  they  were  welcome,  or 
till  their  work  was  done;  and  Avhosoevcr  came  to 
the  house  from  the  neighbourhood  or  village  or 
town,  was  free  to  sit  and  listen  to  the  good  tidings 
of  the  kingdom,  without  having  even  this  pittance 
of  bread  and  water  to  give  in  return.  (But  what 
is  this,  I  say?  I  will  not  libel  mankind  so  far  as  to 
suppose  they  would  grudge  so  penurious  a  return 
for  so  rich  a  gift.)  There  they  sat  day  by  day  in 
the  house  of  the  worthiest  men,  holding  forth  the 
Gospel  of  peace  unto  the  people,  and  by  all  spi- 
ritual persuasion  seeking  to  persuade  the  people 
to  accept  the  overtures  of  its  salvation. 

8 


32    FOR  IMISSIO.NAHIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL- 

The  men  being  so  harmless,  their  des- 
provS^'"  tination  so  peaceful,  and  the  spirit  of 
against  their  instructions  so  heavenly,  it  is  diffi- 

cult  to  imagine  now  it  were  possible 
they  should  meet  with  any  thing  but  welcome 
wherever  they  came.  And  it  is  one  of  the  sore&t 
libels  upon  the  spirit  of  the  world,  that  almost  all 
of  them  came  to  an  untimely  and  violent  end. 
Well  said  the  just  and  devout  Simeon,  who  stayed 
on  earth  to  welcome  the  great  Son  and  Heir  to 
the  house  of  his  Father,  and  wished  to  stay  no 
longer,  that  the  infant  in  his  arms  was  set  tor  a 
sign  to  be  spoken  against,  that  the  secrets  of  many 
hearts  might  be  revealed;  and  by  Christ  himself 
in  these  instructions,  whereof  we  now  present  the 
substance,  it  is  with  still  more  clearness  predicted 
that  he  came  to  send  not  peace  upon  the  earth 
but  a  sword. — How  true  alas !  was  shown  the  first 
year,  yea,  perhaps  the  first  month  of  his  life,  by 
the  crudest  sword  that  ever  drunk  innocent  blood, 
for  which  Rachel  wept  in  R^ma  with  great  lamen- 
tation. Therefore  it  was  necessary  to  prepare 
these  missionaries  for  the  shadowy  side  of  that 
experience  whereof  he  had  forewarned,  whereto 
he  had  foredoomed  them.  They  were  Spiritual 
vessels  ;  bound  for  every  port  where  immortal 
souls  did  tarry:  and  they  had  spiritual  blessings 
to  give  in  return  for  a  welcome  ;  but  they  had  also 
spiritual  terrors  and  cleaving  curses,  thunders  of 
heaven  against  every  city  which  gave  them  no 
harbour.  The  ambassadors  of  heaven  held  both 
the  blessings  and  the  curses  of  that  court  which 
they  represented ;  otherwise  they  would  have 
been  only  half  accomplished  for  the  work :  and 


VHE  MISSIONARY  CO^STlTLTlOZs,  3^ 

lims   iheir   instructions  ran  in  regard  to  all  who 

mistreated  them  and  held  their  commission  cheap: 

"  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  you  nor  Their  instmc- 

1  11  1  i"         i       r  tions  in  such 

hear  your  words,  when  ye  depart  out  ot  a  case, 
that  house  or  city,  shake  off  the  dust  of  your  feet, 
a;o  your  ways  into  the  streets  of  the  same,  and  sayr 
Even  the  very  dust  of  your  city  which  cleaveth 
on  us,  we  do  wipe  off  against  you ;  notwithstand- 
ing be  ye  sure  of  this,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is 
come  nigh  unto  you.  But  I  say  unto  you  it  shall 
be  more  tolerable  in  that  day  for  Sodom  than  for 
that  city." 

The  city,  into  any  house  of  which  the  aretobe 
messengers  that  came  forth  from  heaven  maniy  andiie- 
with  heaven's  credentials  were  not  re-  hemidlof** 
ceived,  having  in  it  not  even  one  worthy  ^'^^^'^"J 
man  to  arrest  the  merciful  hand  of  heaven,  was 
Well  nigh  unto  destruction;  and  the  commission 
of  Heaven's  servants  was  to  read  out  its  doom,  and 
give  it  over  to  its  hasty  end.  For  they  were  not 
only  messengers  of  tjje  Gospel  of  peace,  but  mi- 
nisters of  the  wrath  and  justice  of  God,  men  clothed 
in  sanctity,  and  in  the  august  robes  of  righteous- 
ness, to  offend  whom  was  to  offend  the  Lord  which 
sent  them.  And  therefore  they  held  the  terrors 
of  justice  no  less  than  the  overtures  of  mercy. 
But  because  this  extreme  commission  of  cursing 
the  hard-hearted  places  is  given  unto  them,  we 
are  not  to  understand  that  they  were  to  proceed 
to  extremes  at  once,  and  to  deal  only  in  blessings 
or  curses.  These  are  but  the  extremes  on  both 
sides,  between  which  their  spirits  were  to  move 
according  to  the  circumstances  in  which  they 
found  themselves.  If  the  people  argue,  fuuofwis- 
the  missionaries  argue  again ;    and  being  ^°'"' 


M    l-OK  .MlaalO-VAKlEb  AFTLll  THE  Al'OSluL.   sUluOL. 

assaulted  with  scoffs  and  cunning,  they  defend 
themselves  with  meekness  and  long  suffering,  and 
from  the  wisdom  of  the  world  they  protect  them- 
selves with  the  wisdom  which  is  from  above.  For 
besides  the  harmlessness  of  the  dove,  they  had 
given  to  them  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent,  with 
"which  to  expose  sophistry,  to  outwit  cunning,  to 
defeat  artifice,  and  meet  every  emergency.  IS  one 
of  the  ordinary  powers  of  the  human  mind  was 
taken  from  them  when  they  were  deprived  of  the 
ordinary  accommodations  of  the  world, — whereof 
they  were  deprived  only  to  disengage  them  from 
carefulness  and  trouble  into  the  protection  of 
yctfuiioftei-  their  heavenly  Father.     They  were  de- 

ror  lo  the  , .  ,  .       r  ,  i  t    •  r    i 

obstinate.  livcrcd  out  01  the  couditions  01  the  sense 
into  the  conditions  of  the  mind,  that  the  mind 
might  act  with  the  more  alertness  and  ibrce. 
The  play  of  their  spirit  was  not  fettered  in  the 
way  in  which,  in  these  times,  they  would  fetter 
the  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  They  had  the  righ- 
teous indignation  of  the  ar>cient  prophet,  added 
to  the  humility  and  graciousness  of  the  Christian 
pastor.  They  were  armed  men,  men  armed  with 
the  wrath  olGod.  And  I  cannot  and  do  not  doubt, 
that  when  they  put  a  city  to  the  ban  of  God's 
tribunal,  there  came  upon  it,  if  it  repented  not, 
judgments  of  a  signal  kind,  according  to  the  letter 
of  our  Lord's  threatening  quoted  above ;  and  I 
believe  in  my  heart  that  even  to  this  day,  were 
messengers  to  go  forth  into  all  cities  arrayed  after 
the  fashion  of  these  instructions,  they  would  act 
like  the  test  of  heaven  amongst  them,  and  accord- 
ing to  their  welcome  or  their  rejection,  it  would  be 
seen  that  blessings  of  peace  and  prosperity,  or 
commotions,   revolutions.   siee;es,   wars,   and    dis- 


THE    MISSIONARY  CONSTITUTION.  .j.) 

cords  would  befal  those  places;  not  indeed  mi- 
raculously, but  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  yet 
not  the  less  at  the  command  and  by  the  will  of 
God.  For  in  a  city  which  shall  scornfully  re- 
ject or  cruelly  maltreat  such  innocent,  harmless, 
and  heaven-gifted  men,  the  elements  of  evil  are  in 
strong  agitation,  and  the  explosion  cannot  long  be 
stayed.  It  is  come  to  a  crisis  with  them  as  with 
Herod  when  he  ordered  the  crudest  sword  which 
was  ever  unsheathed,  to  drink  the  blood  of  Ra- 
chel's children;  or  with  the  other  Herod,  when 
he  imprisoned  the  brethren,  and  slew  James  with 
the  sword.  Such  acts  show  that  men  are  lost  to 
all  hope  of  repentance,  and  cities  to  all  hope  of 
recovery,  ripe  for  hell,  and  unfit  any  longer  to  live 
upon  the  earth. 

Thus  went  forth  the  first  messengers  Therecapitu- 
of  the  kingdom,  commissioned  to  the  most  hath'beeir''''^ 
pure  and  benevolent  and  worthy  part  of  t^]^  "?«"  ^^^ 

1  I  II  1        1    j1  Missionary 

the  people,  and  they  approached  them  estate. 
upon  the  side  whereon  a  good  man  liketh  best  to 
be  approached,  of  kindness  and  humanity:  for  it 
is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.  Yet,  to 
keep  their  character  clear  from  all  associations  of 
mendicity  or  meanness,  there  is  no  scrip  nor  purse, 
nor  obsequious  demeanour  allowed  them,  nothing 
that  might  take  from  the  heavenly  condition  of 
the  men ;  no  demand  for  food  or  raiment ;  what  is 
set  before  them  they  partake  of;  and  the  spiritual 
knowledge  and  power  which  they  possess  they  as 
freely  give  in  return.  If  none  is  worthy,  they  pass 
on :  if  they  are  persecuted,  they  escape  away,  as 
it  were,  fishing  the  land,  and  taking  in  their  spi- 
ritual net  the  worthiest  and  the  best  thereof;  es- 
tablishins;  the  everlastine;  covenant  between  God 


♦  ib    FOR  .MISSIO.VAUIF.S   AFTl^K  illK  AP<>S TOL.  SLHoOl.. 

,  and  good  men,  betw  een  heaven  and  whatever  jV 
/  best  upon  the  earth.      They   are   kept  in   close 
dependence  upon  God's  assistance,  and  cannot 
•    move  a  step  but  in  tlie  strength  of  faith.     They 
are  dehvered  out  of  tlie  conditions  of  pohcy,  out 
of  the  conditions  of  force,  out  of  the  conditions  of 
gain,  out  of  the  conditions  of  selfishness  and  of 
ambition;  for  I  dety  any  one  maxim  which  apper- 
taineth  to  these  four  spheres  of  human  activity,  to 
help  them  one  jot  in  fulfilling  their  instructions : 
and  they  are  delivered   into  the  spiiitual  condi- 
tions  of  the  spiritual  kingdom  which   they  went 
about   to  propagate.     In   prayer  and  communion 
with  the  spirit  of  God    they   sail  along   upon  an 
^  unseen   and    unpiloted   course.     They  are  living 
J  models  of  what  they  teach;  moving  epistles  of  the 
j  spirit  of  God;  incarnations,  each  one  in   his  moa- 
'  sure,  of  the  divine  nature;  instead  of  the   Scrip- 
tures to  those  who  have  them  not,  and  commendn- 
tions  of  the  Scriptures  to  those  who  have  them. 
And  if,  as  hath   been  said,  the   Bible  is  its  own 
witness,  these  men  wlio  personified  all   its  truth 
tthat  can  be  personified,  and  with  their  lips  spoke 
Whe  rest,  must  be    their   own    witness.     And    by 
beirig hindered  from  worldly  interests  and  worldly 
attachments,  they  are  hindered  from  worldly   dis- 
course.    They  address  only  the  immortal  part  of 
the  people;  they  confer  upon  no  news  but  the 
good   news  of  the  kingdom;  they    touch    no   in- 
terests but  the  interests  of  eternity ;  speak  of  no 
country  but  heaven,  in  no  authority  but  the  name 
of  God.     Which   four   tilings,   wisdom  to  address 

(the  worthiest  people;  entire  dependence  upon 
God,  exemplification  of  the  doctrine,  and  constant 
debate  with  the  spirits  of  men.  are  surely  four  of 


THE  MISSIONARY  CONSTITUTION.  37 

the  great  principles  in  the  propagation  of  the 
Gospel.  And  it  is  incredible  from  how  many 
altercations,  from  how  many  aberrations  of  pur- 
pose, and  strivings  of  passion,  and  oppositions  of 
interest,  they  are  cut  off!  For  if  they  are  brought 
into  debate,  it  must  be  for  some  spiritual  sake, 
and  spiritual  truth  must  be  elicited.  If  they  are 
mistreated,  it  must  be  in  the  face  of  justice  and 
innocency,  which  makes  friends  to  the  injured; 
and,  doubtless,  whatever  happcneth  good  or  ill  to 
them,  good  must  come  out  of  it  to  a  cause  thus 
implicated  with  no  earthly  interests  and  devoted 
wholly  to  spiritual  ends. 

They  who  o-o  forth  to  extend  temporal  r,.^      .    , 

''         111        !•  1       ■  n     ^       I        1  he  contrast 

power,  and  lay  the  loundations  of  earth-  of  this  with 
ly  dominion,  may  and  must  go  in  the  ofemlr-'"^ 
strength  of  chariots,  and  horsemen,  and  p"^^ 
munitions  of  war;  they  who  go  forth  to  establish 
an  influence  and  empire  over  royal  courts,  may  go 
in  the  strength  of  all-subduing  wealth,  and  diplo- 
matic cunning;  and  they  who  go  forth  to  discover 
the  unknown  regions  and  limits  of  the  terraqueous 
globe,  must  go  with  the  state  of  science,  and  in 
the  strength  of  bold  adventure.  But  they  who 
went  forth  to  bring  all  earthly  powers  under  the 
Prince  of  Peace,  and  to  subdue  all  arts  and  poli- 
cies of  man  to  the  child-like  simplicity  of  the  wis- 
dom which  Cometh  from  above,  and  to  spread  the 
spiritual  kingdom  of  Christ  over  the  bounds  of  the 
terraqueous  globe,  must  divest  themselves  of  those 
helps  and  instruments,  whereby  the  others  pros- 
per. They  must  not  cast  out  Beelzebub  by  Beel- 
zebub. They  must  not  conquer  a  peace  with  arms 
in  their  hands,  which,  though  a  good  enough  com- 
bination of  words  for  the  earth,  is  a  solecism  in  the 


'AH    FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOI  ■• 

.•speech  of  heaven.  By  being  under  Mammon,  they 
\vill  never  come  to  be  under  God :  by  conferring 
with  BeHal,  they  will  never  hold  communion  with 
Christ.  Each  kind  hath  its  appropriate  equipment; 
that  which  is  appropriate  to  the  powerful  is  power, 
to  the  politic  is  policy,  to  the  scientific  is  science, 
to  the  spiritual  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  weapons 
of  their  warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  spiritual;  yet 
powerful  to  the  pulling  down  of  strong  holds.  The 
stone  that  Daniel  saw  cut  out  without  hands,  must 
swell  without  the  help  of  human  hands,  and  fill  the 
earth.  The  kingdom  which  is  to  cast  down  every 
other  kingdom,  must  be  independent  of  those  king- 
doms which  it  casteth  down ;  must  establish  itself 
in  its  own  proper  strength;  and  living  in  this  hea- 
ven-derived strength,  must  live  for  ever. 

Such  a  life  of  occupation  round  and  round  the 
Tiicdifmitv  ^^"^  ^^  ^^^^  appointed  to  these  men,  is 
ofit.  a  disinterested,  is  a  philosophical,  is  a 

sage,  is  a  divine  manner  of  life.  Socrates,  the 
wisest  man  of  antiquity,  of  whom  it  may  be  said, 
that  of  all  the  Heathen  he  was  the  man  most  after 
God's  own  heart,  and  who,  from  his  pure  soul 
struck  out  conceptions  which  were  like  morning 
stars  in  the  darkness,  heralds  of  the  dawn,  not  only 
saw  the  high  dignity  of  such  a  life,  but  had  the  re- 
solution to  fulfil  in  Athens,  in  the  heart  of  polish- 
ed Athens,  this  very  way  of  life  which  Christ  ap- 
pointed to  his  missionary  servants.  And  he  was 
so  blessed  in  his  deed,  that,  though  he  lost  his  na- 
tural life  (least  valuable  of  spiritual  possessions!) 
he  founded  a  school  of  masterminds,  which  wield- 
ed the  longest  lived  empire,  and  hold  to  this  day 
the  highest  place,  among  the  uninspired  sons  of 
men.     '^ocrntes  forr<imn  Avhat  the  Spirit  of  Nvisdom 


THE  MISSIONARY  CONSTITUTION.  39 

appointed.  For  verily,  the  twelve  apostles  and 
seventy  missionaries  were  each  a  Socrates  in  his 
kind  ;  and  greater  than  a  Socrates :  for  Socrates 
went  about  in  quest  of  wisdom,  and  complained 
that  he  could  not  fi;>d  it,  because  it  is  not  of  the 
earth ;  but  tliey  had  found  it,  being  supplied  with 
it  from  heaven.  Nay,  further,  I  will  make  bold  to 
say,  that  if  our  wisdom  were  Christian  or  even 
Socratic,  it  would  prefer  no  other  way  of  life.  It  is 
our  folly,  our  earthliness  which  binds  us  to  the 
fardels  of  this  world.  The  spirit  of  man  spurreth 
them  by  its  proper  nature,  and  eifecteth  emanci- 
pation from  their  bondage,  in  proportion  as  it  is 
conformed  to  that  Spirit  of  Truth  which  possessed 
these  twelve  most  honoured  of  the  sons  of  men. 

Now,  bad  as  the  world  is,  wild  as  is  its  The  probable 
ambition,  heartless  as  is  its  vanity,  proud  f°""neotit.. 
as  its  riches  are,  and  mad  as  they  are  all,  ambition, 
vanity  and  riches,  I  cannot  but  please  myself  with 
the  imagination  that  there  is  no  clime  so  barbarous, 
or,  (which  I  believe  the  more  dangerous  extreme,) 
there  is  no  region  so  polished,  as  not  to  possess  a 
gleaning  of  worthy  spirits  to  welcome  these  travel- 
lers between  heaven  and  earth.  For  there  is  no 
visible  thing  about  them  to  create  hatred ;  the 
men  come  in  the  name  of  peace :  there  is  no  visi- 
ble thing  to  excite  jealousy ;  the  men  are  posses- 
sed of  nothing,  and  coveting  nothing ;  there  is  no 
visible  thing  to  excite  envy,  for  the  men  call  nothing 
but  their  life  their  own  and  even  of  that  they  are  not 
careful ;  and  they  meddle  with  no  earthly  concern, 
and  have  no  earthly  end,  and  walk  in  innocency,and 
live  in  simplicity,  and  cleave  to  no  sect  or  party  of 
men,  and  know  no  country,  and  intend  no  inte- 
rests ;  and  their  tidings  are  all  froqr\  heaven,  and 

9 


40  KoR  uiis'sionahitTh  ai-*ter  the  apostol.  school. 

their  disrourse  all  of  Immortality,  and  their  debate 
ever  hoUlen  with  the  immortal  soul,  and  the  end 
ef  their  ministration  is  the  salvation  of  mankind; 
and  it  is  virtue  ^vhich  tliey  commend,  and  peace 
Ayhich  they  promote  and  charity  toward  all  which 
they  enforce ;  and  a  blessing  goeth  with  tliem,  and 
healtli  Cometh  to  the  house  where  they  abide,  and 
the  son  of  peace  resteth  there,  and  salvation  enter- 
eth  in  as  into  the  house  of  Zaccheus,  thatday  they 
arrive.  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  men  were 
well  endowed  for  their  work,  and  that  their  work 
was  worthy  of  the  endowment,  and  that  they  would 
find  in  the  worst  of  climes  (as  verily  they  did,  tor 
these  same  twelve  planted  the  Gospel  far  and  near, 
from  India  to  the  British  Isles,)  a  class  of  men,  and 
that  the  highest,  to  give  them  welcome.  The  am- 
bitious I  sec,  would  spurn  them,  and  they  would 
be  content  to  be  spurned ;  the  cruel,  I  see,  would 
maltreat  them,  and  they  would  be  content  to  be 
maltreated  ;  the  hoUowhearted  wits  and  satirists 
would  make  merry  with  them,  and  they  would  be 
content  to  be  made  merry  withal ;  and  the  busy 
bustling  crowd  would  pass  them  unheeded,  and 
they  would  be  content  all  unheeded  to  be  passed. 
'  What  do  these  babblers  say  f"*  *  They  seem  to  be 
setters  ibrth  of  strange  gods.'  'Great  is  Diana  of 
the  Ephesians.'  '  They  set  up  another  king,  one 
Jesus.'  'Away  with  them,  they  are  not  worthy  to 
live.'  I  hear  these  sentences  echoing  round  their 
path ;  and  I  see  them  following  it  fearlessly  on- 
ward to  the  death.  But  do  I  not  see  a  Felix 
trembling,  and  a  royal  Aprippa  knitting  his  half 
convinced  brows,  and  a  judge  of  Areopagus  bless- 
ing the  heavenly  tidings,  and  a  Jason  giving 
pledges  for  them,  and  a  Gamaliel  speaking  before 


THE  missioxahy  coxstitutiox.  41 

senates  in  their  behalf,  a  Dorcas,  a  Lydia,  and 
honourable  women  not  a  few,  waiting  upon  the 
wants  of  the  all-enduring  men:  and  the  thoughtful 
of  the  people  are  pondering  the  words  which  they 
speak,  and  the  serious  minded  are  applying  their 
heart  to  the  doctrine,  and  charity  is  leading  them 
by  the  hand,  and  brotherly  humanity  is  opening  to 
them  the  gate,  and  affliction,  comforted  by  their 
presence,  is  anointing  them  with  tears  of  joy;  and 
the  genius  of  every  high  and  heavenly  faculty  of 
the  soul  is  sitting  at  their  feet,  well  pleased  to  be 
schooled  and  taught  by  the  messengers  of  heaven. 
I  see  they  are  but  searching  the  land  for  the  good, 
the  noble,  and  the  true,  leaving  the  wretched  which 
love  the  earthly  garbage,  to  wallow  in  their  sensu- 
alities. They  are  gathering  each  sweet  and  sa- 
voury plant,  leaving  the  weeds  standing  for  a  de^ 
vouring  conflagration  which  is  to  come.  The  fire 
of  heaven  hath  come  down  unto  the  earth ;  (for 
these  twelve  were  baptized  with  fire ;)  but  it  loved 
not  the  earthly  elements,  and  ran  along  seeking 
materials  which  had  some  savour  of  the  worthy 
regions  from  whence  it  came,  which  having  found, 
it  took  and  enkindled,  and  left  in  a  heavenly  blaze 
each  one  in  his  place,  to  purify,  enlighten,  aiad  en- 
kindle the  region  round  aboui 


ORATION  11. 

THE  PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  MISSIONARY  CONSTITU- 
TION, PROVED, 

1.  From  the  Document  itself. 

Such  was  the  character  and  the  commission 
which  Messiah  gave  to  the  twelve  Apostles,  whom 
he  sent  forth  to  preach  the  glad  tidings  of  his  king- 
dom; and  when  he  afterwards  preferred  other 
seventy  to  the  same  high  office,  he  gave  them  their 
instructions  in  nearly  the  same  terms.  He  never 
afterwards  repealed  these  instructions ;  he  never 
afterwards  added  to  them.  And  when  he  enlarged 
their  commission  from  the  limits  of  Judea  to  the 
utmost  bounds  of  the  habitable  earth,  he  gavethem 
no  new  directions,  no  new  promises,  no  new  warn- 
ings or  predictions,  nothing  further,  save  the  as- 
surance that  he  was  with  them  to  the  end  of  the 
world.  When  these  men,  schooled  according  to 
this  discipline,  went  forth  afterwards  in  the  same 
behalf,  it  is  not  to  be  imagined  therefore  that  they 
would  adopt  other  principles  than  those  which 
they  had  already  received  from  their  Master, 
and  practised  with  so  much  success.  And  if  they 
would  not,  then  it  is  not  to  be  imagined  that  we 
ought,  unless  some  speciahty  in  our  case  can  be 
shown  of  importance  enough  to  annul  these  com- 
mandments of  Christ,  and  make  the  example  of 
the  apostles  of  none  effect.     But  as  it  is  of  great 


44   FOR  MISSIOiNARlES  AFTER  TIlE  APObTOL.  SCHOOL. 

importance  that  this  point  be  established  beyond 
all  doubt,  we  have  given  it  a  separate  place  in 
this  argument,  and  shall  now  proceed  as  was 
proposed : 

Proved  first  ^^  sliow  that  thcsc  instructions  are  of 
by  the  bear-     coutinual  obligation,   present   the  evcr- 

ingofthe  .         .  /■>  .  \   ^.  , 

document  iastmg  tvpc  oi  tlic  missionarj  character, 
'^^^''  and  are  not  by  any  human  authority  to 

be  altered  or  abridged. — To  ostahlish  this  most 
important  conclusion,  let  us  first  apply  ourselves 
to  the  document  itself,  that  we  may  ascertain 
from  its  style  and  matter,  whether  it  is  meant  to 
be  local  and  temporary,  or  universal  and  ever- 
lasting. Now  we  are  bold  to  say,  that  from  the 
beginning  to  the  ending  of  it,  there  is  not  a  single 
sentence  (save  two  afterwards  to  be  considered,) 
upon  which  the  whole  church  of  Christ  hath  not 
passed  a  judgment,  that  it  was  pronounced  for  the 
constant  use  and  edification  of  all  who  put  them- 
selves in  jeopardy  for  the  sake  of  the  spiritual  king- 
dom. Every  promise  in  it  hath  become  a  standing 
order  of  the  church;  its  predictions  have  been  ful- 
filled in  every  realm  where  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
hath  been  preached  ;  and  the  first  preachers  of  the 
Gospel  in  every  realm  have  established  their  hearts 
with  the  consolation  whicli  it  containeth.  The  di- 
rection '  to  be  wise  as  serpents  and  harmless  as 
doves,'  hath  always  been  the  policy  of  Christ's  con- 
fessors. The  assurance  '  that  the  Lord  would  put 
into  their  mouth  what  they  should  say,'  hath  always 
been  the  fountain  of  their  eloquence.  The  privi- 
lege, when  '  persecuted  in  one  city  to  llee  into 
another,'  hath  always  been  the  measure  of  their 
self  preservation.  The  declaration  -  that  the  dis- 
ciple is  not  above  his  master,  nor  the  servant  above 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTIOX.  45 

his  lord,'  hath  been  their  support  under  every  iii- 
famoas  accusation.  The  knowledge  '  that  the 
sparrows  are  objects  of  God's  care,  and  that  he 
numbereth  the  very  hairs  upon  the  heads  of"  his 
servants,'  hath  sustained  them  in  the  utmost  jeopar- 
dy and  straits.  The  promise  of  Christ,  '  to  confess 
before  his  Father  those  who  confessed  him  before 
men,  to  save  the  everlasting  life  of  those  who  laid 
down  their  temporal  life  for  his  sake,  to  be  instead 
of  father  and  mother  to  those  who  preferred  his 
cause  to  filial  duty,'  and  every  other  sentence,  of 
whatever  kind,  whether  breathing  sorrow  or  joy, 
foreboding  ill  or  promising  good,  hath  become,  as 
it  were,  an  armorial  bearing  to  the  soldiers  of  the 
militant  church,  household  words  in  the  city  of  our 
Zion,  with  which  she  traineth  up  her  sons  and  her 
daughters  to  be  valorous  for  the  Lord.  Can  a 
document,  then,  I  ask,  to  which  the  church  in  all 
ages  and  in  all  countries,  hath  attached  an  ever- 
lasting importance,  and  which  contains  within  it 
the  watch-words  of  every  battle  that  hath  been 
struck  in  this  spiritual  warfare,  the  last  breathings 
of  every  valiant  man  who  hath  sacrificed  his  all 
for  its  sake,  can  such  a  document  be  allo^yed  to 
perish  ?  Shall  any  base-born  generation  be  allow- 
ed to  hide  it  from  the  eye  of  the  church  ?  Ac- 
cursed be  the  generation  that  would  harbour  the 
thought.  Shall  any  man  or  body  of  men,  to  answer 
their  ends,  veil  it  up  or  venture  to  annul  it.^  Let 
him  be  anathema  maranatha. 

And  it  is  nothing  to  the  prejudice  of  this  reason- 
ing, that  the  document  containeth  two  notwith- 
clauses  which  are  local  and  temporary,  ciaus^sofa" 
and  which  can  by  no  means  be  applied  jocaia"^ 

./  .  ri  temporary 

to  any  tlnng  beyond  that  journey  among  kind,  v.hic-h 


4b   FOR  MlbSIONAKiES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 


were  nc- 


llic  towns  and  villages  of  Jewry,  upon 
cessary.         whicli  they  wcFC  Sent,  and  from  which, 
we  are   told,  they  soon    returned  with  gladness. 
"Go  not  into  the  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  into  any 
city  of  ihe  Samaritans  enter  ye  not;  but  go  rather 
to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."    "Ye  shall 
not  have  gone  over  the  cities  of  Israel  until  the  Son 
of  Man  be  come."     For  it  was  necessary  to  define 
the  extent  of  their  first  peregrination,  otherwise 
they  would  not  have  known  whither  to  direct  their 
steps,  or  when  to  return  to  attend  upon  their  Lord, 
for  whose  witness  they  were  chosen ;  and  there  is 
no  more  of  a  local  and  temporary  nature  than  just 
to  guide  them  in  this  essential  point.     They  are 
directed  to  limit  themselves  to  the  lost  sheep  of 
Judah,  because,  before  they  had  gone  this  round, 
the   Son    of  Man    vvould    come ;    that  is,   would 
openly  announce  himself  to  the  nation.     Now,  be- 
cause he  marked  their  route,  and  gave  them  an 
idea  of  the  duration  of  their  journey,  will  any  man 
infer  that  his  instructions  and  counsels  were  in- 
tended only  for  that  journey,  and  were  to  be  cast 
away  when  it  was  over  ? — that  man  would  make 
his  Saviour's  words  of  less  value  than  the  words  of 
the  most   ignorant    parent,  who  givelh    parental 
counsel  to  his  child,  which  the  child  holds  sacred 
till  death,  never  dreaming  that  it  is  cancelled  at 
the  expiration  of  his  first  absence,  and  if  not  re- 
peated, is  to  be  cast  at  his  feet. 
„  .        ,  But  the  document  containeth  within 

Rut  cannot        •         i  r     i 

limit  the  rest,  itscli  the  dircct  rclutation  of  these  de- 

which  declare    .  ,•  /•  -.         i**i  i  a.    ' 

their  own  tractious  trom  its  dignity,  and  restric- 
cternity  tions  of  its  duratioii.  For,  except  in 
those  two  clauses  by  which  it  was  necessary  to 
define  the  extent  of  this  first  peregrination,  there 


PERPETUITY  OP  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  47 

IS  hardly  another  clause  which  is  not  rendered  in- 
significant and  even  absurd  by  being  applied  to 
that  solitary  journey.     It  is  said  "  Beware  of  men, 
tor  they  will  deliver  you  up  to  councils,  and  they 
will  scourge  you  in  their  synagogues."     Now  we 
have  not  the  slightest  hint  that  any  of  the  twelve 
or  seventy  suffered  inditements  before  civil  coun- 
cils, or  scourgings  at  the  hands  of  religious  rulers 
during  this  journey,  from  which  they  returned  with 
joy,  confessing  that  they  had  lacked  nothing.     And 
indeed,  I  know  not  what  councils  there  were  in 
the  towns  of  Judea  (for  they  went  not  to  Jerusalem) 
before  which  they  could  be  brought.     Again,  it  is 
said,   "  Ye  shall  be  brought  before  governors  and 
kings  for  my  sake  ;"    and  it  is  further  said,  "  For 
a    testimony    against    them   and    the    Gentiles." 
Now  what  kings,  governors,   or  Gentiles,   could 
they    be    brought   before,  or    testify   against,    in 
a  journey,  within  whose  bounds  there  was  neither 
king  nor  governor,  and  during  which  they  were  not 
"  to  go  in  the  way  of  a  Gentile  ?"     And  we  have 
warnings  of  brother  delivering  up  brother  to  death, 
and  the  father  the  child,  and  the  children  rising 
up  against  their  parents  and  causing  them  to  be 
put  to  death; — and  yet  all   the  twelve  returned 
safe  and  sound.      Again,  it  is  said,  "  Ye  shall  be 
hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake ;"  did  that 
come   to   pass   in   this    journey  ^     Again, ^  "  He 
that   endureth   to   the  end  shall   be   saved  ;"    is 
it  meant  to  the  end  of  this   short  journey  ?   But 
further  to  apply  this  experimentum  crucis  to  the  hy- 
pothesis that  these  instructions  were  intended  for 
this  journey  only,  would  produce  such  a  tissue  of 
absurdities,  as  might  destroy  in  my  hearers  that 
grave  frame  of  mind  with  which  discourses  from 

10 


18    FOR  ftllSSlONAUlES  AFTER  THE  AP09T0L.  SCHOOL. 

this  ])la(:e  ouj^lit  always  to  be  heard.  Therefore, 
let  what  hath  been  said  suffice  ibr  showing  the 
evidence,  "which  the  document  yields  to  its  own 
flurability,  and  the  express  denial  and  Hat  contra- 
diction uhicli  it  gives  to  every  daring  temporizer; 
and  let  us  proceed  onward  in  the  establishment  of 
tliis  our  second  head  of  discourse,  whereof,  if  we 
succeed  in  convincing  this  assembly  and  the 
Christian  church,  we  shall  have  done  no  mean 
service  to  the  Missionary  cause. 
Apnssagein  Agaiust  the  perpetuity  of  these  in- 
the 22d chap,  structions,  an  objection  may  be  taken 
scemeih'to'  from  a  passagc  in  the  22d  chapter  of  the 
<'b^ge^n  ti,«  Gospel  by  Luke,  where  they  are  alluded 
ronstitufion  iq  in  sucli  a  Way  as,  to  a  superficial 
sionary  rcadcr,  might  seem  to   repeal  them  and 

"*''"^'  to   substitute  others  in  their  room  :  it  is 

as  follows — "  And  he  said  unto  them.  When  I  sent 
you  without  purse,  and  scrip,  and  shoes,  lacked 
ye  any  thing  ?  And  they  answered,  Nothing.  Then 
said  he  unto  them,  But  now  he  that  hath  a  purse, 
let  him  take  it,  and  likewise  his  scrip ;  and  he 
that  hath  no  sword,  let  him  sell  his  garment  and 
buy  one."  If  this  passage  referreth  to  the  same 
object  as  the  other,  viz.  the  propagation  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  it  doth  make  a  remarkable 
alteration  indeed ;  not  only  permitting  the  help  of 
purse,  and  provisions  of  life,  but  also  of  instru- 
ments of  war ;  and  while  it  gives  a  permission  to 
the  two  former,  makes  the  latter  indispensable, 
requiring  the  Missionary,  who  is  without  a  sword, 
fnit  is  avail-  to  scll  liis  garment  to  buy  one.  This 
cnlf oni  "to'  ^^^^  crusaders  fulfilled  to  the  letter,  who 
liic crusaders,  convcrtcd  all  tlicir  property  into  steel 
and   armed  men,  and  went  forth  in  panoply  to 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  49 

Spread  the  Gospel  of  peace.  But  as  no  one  in 
these  times  is  disposed  to  fit  out  such  an  evangeli- 
cal armament,  all  confessing  it  to  be  against  the 
spirit  and  the  letter  of  the  Gospel,  no  use  can  be 
made  of  this  passage  to  invalidate  any  part  of  the 
other.  It  cannot  be  in  part  taken  and  in  part 
rejected.  The  mercenary  spirit  of  these  times 
will  not  lay  hold  of  the  purse  and  scrip,  while 
they  deny  to  the  crusader  the  sword  which  is 
made  peremptory,  while  the  others  are  but  licen- 
sed. So  that  we  might  dismiss  the  passage  'as 
totally  inapplicable  to  the  propagation  of  the 
kingdom,  and  leave  tlie  man  who  useth  it  against 
the  argument  of  this  discourse,  to  deliver  himself 
from  the  dilemma  into  which  he  brings  himself,  of 
converting  every  Christian  Mission  into  a  Cru- 
sade. But,  that  we  may  carry  along  with  us  as 
much  conviction  as  possible,  we  shall  interrupt 
our  course  for  a  moment  to  explain  the  true  in- 
tention of  our  Saviour  in  this  remarkable  passage, 
which  we  have  seen  strangely  employed  both  by 
the  enemies  and  the  friends  of  his  cause. 

It  was  spoken  to  the  eleven  after  the  Tiietmejn- 

*    „      ,  ,  T  -I        lention  of 

mstitution  ot  the  supper,  immediately  that  passage, 
before  they  arose  and  retired  to  the  Garden  of 
Gethsemane,  where  our  Lord  was  straightway 
betrayed  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies ;  being  the 
last  words  which  he  uttered  to  them  before  the 
hour  and  the  power  of  darkness  had  the  ascend- 
ancy over  him.  For  they  had  no  sooner  reached 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  where  the  garden  was,  than 
his  agonies  and  temptations  came  hastening  in 
thick  array  upon  his  innocent  head.  And  it  is  to 
be  regarded  as  a  warning  of  the  terrors  which 
were  closing  in  upon  their  Master  and  his  cause. 


•  »0    FUR  aiISSIOx\ARli;t>  AFTER  THE  ^POs  1  OL.  bCIIOOf.. 

a  permission  to  provide  for  their  own  safety,  as 
best  they  could,  and  an  intimation  ttiat  the  Son  of 
Peace,  which  went  with  them  on  their  former 
journey,  standing  them  instead  of  purse  and  scrip 
and  defensive  arms,  was  now  unable  to  defend 
himself,  being  about  to  bow  his  head  and  expire 
upon  an  accursed  tree.  Therefore,  said  he,  Until 
these  days  of  darkness  be  overpast,  and  times  of 
refreshing  have  come  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,  let  every  one  of  you  betake  iiimself  to  his 
natural  shifts,  and  consider  himself  no  longer  as 
the  child  of  an  invisible  providence.  And  ac- 
cordingly, while  his  cause  continued  under  this 
eclipse,  they  were  deliverd  each  one  into  his  own 
protection ;  and  when  he  arose  from  the  dead  his 
first  instructions  to  them  was,  to  depart  from  the 
scene  of  danger  into  a  retired  mountain  of  Galilee 
(perhaps  that  same  where  they  had  been  set 
apart,)  and  wait  there  till  he  should  come  and 
take  them  out  of  the  hands  of  this  temporary  ex- 
pediency. But  before  ascending  from  them  for 
ever,  he  w  as  at  pains  to  assure  them  that  he  had 
triumphed  over  his  enemies,  and  that  all  power 
was  given  to  him  in  Heaven  and  in  earth,  and  that 
he  would  send  them  his  Holy  Spirit,  a  better  com- 
forter and  provider  than  the  former  Son  of  Peace; 
therefore,  restoring  them  again  to  their  former 
divine  liberty,  he  said.  Go  forth  into  all  nations, 
and  lo,  1  am  witii  you  unto  the  end  of  the  world. 
j.rovcci.  by  an  That  tlicsc  Avords,  wliicli  lic  spokc  on 
anaiysibof  {\^q  QyQ  qj'  \\^\i;  houT  of  darkucss,  w crc 
intended  only  for  the  use  of  that  awful 
season,  is  not  a  conjecture,  but  the  result  of  a 
deep  consideration  and  analysis  of  the  context, 
Avhich.  for  vour  further  satisfaction,  I  shall   not 


PKRPETLITV  OF  THIS  «  O^STITLTIOX.  ^1 

hesitate  to  lay  before  you.  The  supper,  which  in 
every  word  and  action  signified  his  immediate 
death,  was  instituted  and  ended;  but  his  disciples 
continued  as  steadfast  as  ever  in  their  misappre- 
hension and  unbelief:  which  they  manifested  by 
beginning  to  dispute  about  precedency  in  that 
kingdom  which  they  expected  him  to  establish. 
With  a  delicacy  and  wisdom,  which  breathed  in 
all  he  said,  he  first  corrected  their  worldly  ideas 
of  dignity,  and  explained  that  their  true  dignity  in 
his  kingdom  should  consist  in  judging  the  tweh^e 
tribes  of  Israel.  Thence  pursuing  the  discourse, 
that  they  might  be  humbled  out  of  their  present 
disposition  of  pride,  which  is  Satan's  snare,  he 
warned  them  of  the  danger  to  which  they  stood 
exposed  from  the  temptations  of  Satan.  This  part 
of  his  discourse  he  addressed  to  Simon,  foreseeing 
his  fall,  and  wishing  to  administer  to  him  comfort 
under  the  deep  contrition  and  sorrow  that  was  to 
follow  it — "  Simon,  Simon,  behold  Satan  hath  de- 
\  sired  to  have  you  (the  twelve,)  that  he  may  sift 
you  as  wheat ;  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that 
i'thy  faith  fail  not,  and  when  thou  art  converted, 
*  strengthen  thy  brethren."  This  brought  forth 
Peter's  protestation,  and  our  Lord's  prediction  of 
his  frailty,  which  is  as  it  were  a  digression  in  the 
discourse  with  the  twelve ;  whom  having  warned 
of  Satan's  snares,  assured  of  his  own  prayers  for 
their  sakes,  and  advertised  of  their  need  to  be 
strengthened,  he  immmediately  adds  the  passage 
under  consideration,  as  his  counsel  to  them  in  the 
emergency  which  he  had  ibretoid.  Fearing  lest 
they  might  trust  to  that  same  protection  which 
had  been  extended  over  them  hitherto,  and  which 
had  so  wonderfully  provided  for  their  wants  in 


■  rl    FOK  AlISdiONARiES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCIIOOI.. 

their  former  journey,  he  turns  their  attention  to 
their  former  experience  by  the  question,  »'  When 
ye  went  forth  without  purse  or  scrip,  lacked  ye 
any  thing?"  and  they  answered.  "Nothing."  Hav- 
toijconivfor  inor  thus  fixcd  their  minds  upon  their  for- 

ibe  daik  pc-  '^  i.    a         •         '       i  .  i  .1 

riod,  ,10111  the  nier  estate,  in  order  to  make  the  im- 
ihT£en"ion  P^n^ing  changc  of  their  circumstances 
of  the  Lord;  thc  morc  remarkable,  he  added,  "But 
now  he  that  hath  a  purse  let  Iiim  take  it,  and  his 
scrip,  and  he  that  hath  no  sword  let  him  sell  his 
garment  and  buy  one."  That  is,  trust  not  now, 
under  these  perilous  trials  of  Satan  just  coming 
on  you,  to  be  supported  with  any  help  supernatu- 
ral. For  my  kingdom  is  to  suffer  violence,  and 
the  violent  will  take  it  by  force.  Therefore,  look 
ye  every  man  to  himself,  and  to  his  resources; 
and  be  upon  your  guard  from  violence,  Avhich  is 
more  to  be  dreaded  by  you  than  the  wants  of  na- 
ture and  the  inclemency  of  the  skies;  and  though 
you  should  sell  your  garment  to  provide  a  delience 
for  your  lives,  sell  it  and  therewith  purchase  that 
defence.  "  For,"  he  immediately  added,  as  the 
reason  of  the  innovation,  and  he  addeth  it  in  his 
most  solemn  manner,  "  For,  I  say  unto  you,  that 
this  that  is  written  must  yet  be  accomplished  in 
me.  And  he  was  reckoned  among  the  transgres- 
sors :  for  the  things  concerning  me  have  an  end." 
If  any  thing  were  wanting  to  conlirm  what  hath 
been  said  of  this  passage,  it  were  to  be  Ibund  in 
this  reason  expressly  assigned  by  the  Saviour  him- 
self for  the  innovation  which  he  made.  I  am  to 
be  treated  as  a  transgressor  and  a  malefactor,  and 
the  predictions  concerning  my  death  have  now 
their  accomplishment.  Theretbre,  banish  these 
high  notions  of  power  and  dignity;  for  Satan  is 


O 


^Li-^ 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  53 

now  about  to  sift  you  as  wheat,  and  ye  shall  find 
none  of  my  help  which  heretofore  sustained  you, 
but  you  shall  find  your  own  weakness,  and  be 
forced  upon  your  natural  defences :  for  the  mean 
while,  therefore,  humble  yourselves  to  the  expec- 
tations of  ordinary  men,  and  have  your  refuge  in 
the  resources  of  persecuted  men. 

In  all  this  there  is  nothing  which  hath  and  even  of 
or  can  have  a  wider  application  than  to  t^'^t  season, 
that  hour  of  darkness,  during  which  the  raiiy"inter- 
glory  of  his  kingdom  was  ecHpsed.  And,  p'^'^'' 
even  of  this  season,  that  it  was  not  to  be  literally 
interpreted,  is  manifest  from  the  scene  which  im- 
mediately took  place.  The  disciples  mistaking  his 
meaning,  made  answer  to  him  in  these  words, 
"  Lord,  here  are  two  swords."  And  he  answered 
them,  "  It  is  enough ;"  that  is,  it  is  enough  that  I 
have  reduced  your  minds  from  these  high  and 
towering  expectations  of  power,  which  would  have 
cast  you  upon  ruin,  to  the  lowly  sense  of  your 
weakness,  and  the  prudent  thought  of  your  safety. 
But  they  imagining  that  he  really  meant  them  to  use 
these  two  swords,  with  which  they  were  provided 
said,  when  the  rout  came  upon  him  in  the  garden, 
"  Lord,  shall  we  smite  with  the  sword  ?''''  and  Peter 
actually  lifted  up  his  sword,  and  smote  the  high 
priest's  servant,  and  cut  off  his  ear.  To  which  ac- 
tion our  Lord  made  this  reply,  "  Put  up  again  thy 
sword  into  his  place :  for  all  they  that  take  the 
sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword."  Which  shows 
that  not  only  did  he  not  intend  the  sentence  under 
consideration  to  be  understood  of  the  propagation, 
but  not  even  of  the  defence  of  his  cause ;  that  so 
far  from  intending  it  to  be  applied  literally  to  all 
times,  he  did  not  intend  it  to  be  literally  applied 


^4:     FOR  MISblONARIKb  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

even  to  that  time  of  oppression,  for  the  sake  of 
which  it  was  spoken.  That  it  was  to  be  under- 
stood, as  we  have  explained  it,  for  a  strong  and 
figurative  way  of  reducing  their  minds  from  the 
ambitious  thoughts  of  power  which  their  question 
indicated,  down  to  a  lowly  sense  of  their  true  con- 
dition, its  trials,  and  its  dangers. 

We  have  been  the  more  particular  con- 
Theperpe-  ccming  tliis  passafi^c  of  scripture,  be- 
Missionary  cause  ]t  IS  the  Only  one  which  seems  to 
proved"from  bear  against  those  Primitive  Instructions 
the  practice  of  thc  Missioiiary,  for  the  perpetual  obli- 
ties,  asre-  gatioH  of  which  wc  liold  the  argument. 
I'he  A?ts"  This  being  rightly  interpreted  (and  no 
one  but  a  crusader  could  think  of  inter- 
preting it  of  the  Missionary  cause,)  every  other 
part  of  scripture  proves  that  the  Apostles  carried 
these  instructions  rigorously  into  effect.  On  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  when  they  were  furnished  with 
all  manner  of  gifts  necessary  for  the  work  of  con- 
verting the  nations,  there  was  nothing  appertain- 
ing to  purse  or  scrip,  to  power  or  influence,  to 
name  or  reputation,  bestowed  on  them.  The 
things  interdicted  by  the  Saviour  continued  to  be 
interdicted  by  the  Spirit;  for  outwardly  the  men 
remained  unaltered,  after  they  had  been  inwardly 
endowed  with  the  word  of  wisdom,  the  word  of 
knowledge,  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  miracles,  the 
gifts  of  tongues  and  the  interpretation  of  tongues. 
If  money  and  provisions,  if  goods  and  possessions 
had  been  necessary,  why  were  they  not  bestowed 
at  this  time,  when  Heaven  furnished  out  its  minis- 
ters to  all  nations  ?  But  that  needed  not  to  be  be- 
stowed from  Heaven,  which  was  soon  forthcoming 
in  all  abundance.     For  in  these  times,  as  soon  a'^ 


PERPETUITY  OP  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  ,:)0 

the  Spirit  took  hold  of  the   converts,  lie   made 
them  indifferent  to  all   outward  distinctions  and 
emoluments  wherein  they  formerly  prided  them- 
selves.       And   not    only     the    missionai'ies,     but 
even  the   converts   of   the    missionaries,  becom- 
ing careless  of  purse,  and  scrip,  and  possessions, 
forgot  the   distinctions   of  thine    and   mine,   and 
parted  their  all  to   such  as  had  need.     Now  the 
Apostles,  when  plenty  of  every  thing  came  flow- 
ing into  their  power,  kept   free  from  the    worldly 
incumbrance,  and  continued  breaking  bread  from 
house  to  house,  and  did  eat  their  meat  with  glad- 
ness  and   singleness   of  heart.     And  when   they 
went  forth  to  the  temple,  so  true  kept  they  by 
Christ's  first  instructions,  that  they  said  unto  a  man 
who  sought  an  alms,  "  Silver  and  gold  have  we 
none."      And  when  the  converts  brought  their  all 
and  poured  it  at  their  feet,  not  only  would  they  not 
own  any  of  it,  but  they  would  not  for  the  sake  of 
holy  Charity  and  sacred  Justice,  be  diverted   by 
its  distribution,  from  the  higher  and  better  calling, 
of  giving  themselves  wholly  to  the  ministry  of  the 
word  and  to  prayer.     And  they  continued  as  they 
began;  for  throughout  the  whole  book  of  the  Acts 
there  is  not  one  word  from  which  it  can  be  ga- 
thered that  in  journeying  from  town  to  town,  and 
from  region  to  region,  they  had  any  convenience 
of  travel,  abode  in  any  houses  of  public  entertain- 
ment, possessed   any  property  which  they  could 
call  their  own,  or  in  any  way  deviated  from  the 
spirit,  or  from  the  very  letter  of  our  Lord's  in- 
structions.    While   they  abode  in  a  place,  they 
continued,  according  to  the  commandment  of  the 
Lord,  in  the  house  of  one  man,  whom,  when  writ- 
ing letters  from  the  place,  they  call  their  host. 

n 


,)6    FOR  MfSSlONAfilES  AFTLU  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

When  Paul  went  np  to  Jcnisalem,  he  communi- 
cated that  Gospel  which  he  preached  among  the 
Gentiles,  to  them  only  which  were  of  rej)utation. 
using  the  privilege  of  incpjiring  after  the  most 
Worthy.  When  the  Jews  of  any  town  would  no 
longer  hear  him,  he  condemned  them,  and  turned 
unto  the  Gentiles ;  and  when  with  one  accord  both 
Jews  and  Gentiles  rose  up  against  him,  he  shook 
off  the  dust  of  his  feet  against  that  city,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  his  course.  In  short,  I  find  not  one  of 
the  instructions  which  they  did  not  literally  carry 
into  cliect.  They  had  no  wages  ;  they  depended 
upon  no  remittances ;  they  lived  all  along  and  al- 
together upon  the  brethren. 

And  the  Gospel  must  surely  have  changed  its  na- 
ture and  abated  its  efficacy,  when  the  converts  shall 
become  loth  to  support  the  man,  who,  under  God, 
hath  brought  them  from  darkness  to  light,  and 
from  the  service  of  Satan  to  serve  the  living  God. 
And  the  converts  must  be  miserable  indeed,  if 
they  have  not  bread  and  water  for  the  mouth 
which  hath  brought  them  glad  tidings  of  great  joy. 
For  in  the  primitive  times  it  was  counted  an  ho- 
nour, not  a  burden,  to  give  them  the  small  accom- 
modation which  they  needed.  Cornelius  prayed 
Peter  to  tarry  with  him  certain  days.  Lydia,  as 
the  first  fruits  of  her  conversion,  besought  Paul 
and  Silas  in  these  words,  "  If  ye  have  judged  me 
to  be  faithful,  come  into  my  house  and  abide 
there."  At  Corinth,  while  yet  Paul  held  with  the 
Jews,  he  abode  with  Aquila.  and  wrought  at  his 
craft;  but  when  he  turned  unto  the  Gentiles,  he 
entered  into  the  house  of  Justus,  one  that  worship- 
ped God,  and  abode  there.  And  on  parting  Irom 
the  elders  of  the  Ephesian  Church,  he  said,  "  I 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  57 

have  coveted  no  man's  silver,  or  gold,  or  apparel ; 
but  these  hands  have  mhiistered  to  my  necessities, 
and  those  that  are  with  me."  Which  two  last  in- 
stances show  us  how  they  were  wont  at  times  to 
labour  for  their  bread,  that  they  might  not  be  bur- 
densome ;  but  that  this  was  the  exception,  and  not 
the  rule  of  their  proceedings,  is  manifest  from 
Paul's  apology  for  it  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Corinthi- 
ans. The  rule  was,  to  follow  out  the  unworldly, 
unselfish,  unambitious  way  of  life  which  Christ  had 
taught,  to  be  wholly  careless  of  the  present  world, 
wholly  disengaged  from  its  concerns,  that  they 
might  be  wholly  occupied  with  the  things  of  the 
world  to  come. 

And  when  deviations  do  occur  in  the 
practice  of  the  primitive  times,  from  this  whose  devra- 

.  ini        \/t-      •  1-11  lions  iiom  ine 

exact  ritual  oi  the  Missionary  laid  down  leuer  confirm 
by  our  Lord,  they  are  of  that  kind  which  tu^coSiitl 
confirm  the  spirit  of  the  rule,  being  all  p°"i,saJc()- 
deviations  by  excess,  not  by  defect,  of  its  nmh. 
peculiar  characteristics.     Paul,  in  these 
two  instances    of  Ephesus  and    Corinth,   saw   it 
good  to  forego  the  right  of  living  by  his  ministry, 
but  in  foregoing  it  he  carefully  excepted  against 
its    being   considered    as    a   precedent,  i  coi.  jx. 
"  Have  we  not  power  to  eat  and  to  drink  ?  ^~^- 
Have  we  not  power  to  lead  about  a  sister,  a  wife, 
as  well  as  other  Apostles,  or  as  the  brethren  of  the 
Lord  and  Cephas  ?  or  I  only,  and  Barnabas,  have 
not  we    power   to  forbear   working?"     In  these 
questions  of  the  indignant  Apostle,  is  revealed  the 
custom  of  the  first  founders  of  the  kingdom,  to  go 
from  place  to  place,  carrying  with  them  no  earth- 
ly means,  and  devoting  themselves  to  no  worldly 
calling,  but  depending  upon  the  benevolence  of 
the  worthy,  and  having  their  feet  ghod  with  no 


58    FOR  MlSSlO.NAKiES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

preparalioii  but  tlic  preparation  of  the  Gospel  oV 
peace.  In  IjIh  triumphant  answtTS  to  the  same 
questions,  we  have  it  asserted  as  a  fundamental 
law  of  the  propagation  of  the  kingdom,  and  sup- 
ported by  the  reasonableness  of  the  thing,  by  the 
Mosaical  laws,  and  last  of  all  by  the  ordination  of 
iCo  i  ^^^^  Lord,  "  tliat  they  whicli  preach  the 
Gospel  should  live  by  the  Gospel.'* 
Now  I  ask,  in  wliat  part  of  the  Gospel  this  is  or- 
dained by  the  Lord,  if  not  in  the  passage,  for 
whose  evelasting  obligation  we  plead,  wherein  it 
is  said  "  For  the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  meat".'* 
There  is  not  another  of  the  Lord's  sayings  which 
niaketh  even  allusion  to  the  subject.  Here,  then, 
Paul  quoteth  a  standing  rule  of  the  kingdom,  upon 
the  authority  of  this  document,  which  the  practice 
of  many  moderns  would  wipe  out  of  the  Canon. 
Do  you  ask,  Why,  then,  did  Paul  dare  to  set  aside 
the  ordinance  of  the  Lord  ?  Let  him  answer  for 
himself  "  If  others  be  partakers  of  this  power 
over  you,  are  not  we  rather.''  Nevertheless,  we 
have  not  used  this  power;  but  suffer  all  things, 
lest  we  should  hinder  the  Gospel  of  Christ."  He 
did  it  out  of  the  noOile  officium^  the  high  prerogative 
of  an  inspired  Apostle,  because  he  saw  that  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  with  which  he  was  intrusted, 
would  be  advanced  by  his  doing  so;  and  how  ad- 
vanced, he  hath  told  us  in  his  next  Epistle,  when 
speaking  of  the  same  thing,  he  thus  expresseth  his 
1  Cor  IX.  12.  noble  and  magnanimous  soul,  '"Have  I 
committed  an  offence  in  abasing  myself  that  ye 
might  be  exalted,  because  I  have  preached  unto 
you  the  Gospel  of  God  freely  }  I  robbed  other 
churches,  taking  wages  of  them  to  do  you  service. 
And  when  I  was  present  with  you.  and  wanted,  I 


i^ERPETUn Y  OP  THIS  CONStlTUTloN.  59 

was  chargeable  to  no  man :  for  that  which  was 
lacking  to  me,  the  brethren  which  came  from  Ma- 
cedonia supplied :  and  in  all  things  I  have  kept 
myself  from  being  burdensome  to  you,  and  so  will 
I  keep  myself  As  the  truth  of  Christ  is  in  me,  no 
man  shall  stop  me  of  this  boasting  in  the  regions 
of  Achaia.  Wherefore?  because  I  love  you  not? 
God  knoweth.  But  what  I  do,  that  will  I  do,  that 
I  may  cut  off  occasion  from  them  which  desire  oc- 
casion ;  that  wherein  they  glory  they  may  be  found 
even  as  we.  For  such  are  false  apostles,  de- 
ceitful workers,  transforming  themselves  into  the 
Apostles  of  Christ."  These  false  apostles  and  de- 
ceitful workers  had  accused  the  pdgrim-traveller 
from  town  to  town,  and  from  region  to  region,  as 
a  needy  vagabond,  who  thus  earned  dishoiiourable 
bread ;  whereby  they  sought  to  obstruct  his  suc- 
cess in  the  regions  of  Achaia.  But  the  pilgrim- 
traveller  had  a  soul  full  of  resources,  and  a  heart 
full  of  stoutness,  to  overthrow  these  railers  against 
the  honourable  calling  and  providential  life  of  a 
Missionary.  Coming  into  the  region  which  had 
been  poisoned  against  him,  "  he  found  a  certain 
Jew,  named  Aquila,  with  his  wife  Pris-  Actsxvih.  2. 
cilia,  and  came  unto  them,  and  because  they  were 
of  the  same  craft,  he  abode  with  them  and  wrought: 
for  by  their  occupation  they  were  tent-makers." 
Thus  did  he  defeat  the  wicked  stratagem  of 
Satan's  servants,  who  had  transformed  themselves 
into  the  Apoetles  of  Christ,  by  demonstrating  that 
he  sought  no  gain,  nor  cared  for  no  livehhood,  but 
became  all  things  to  all  men  that  he  might  gain 
the  more.  And  though  1  have  said  the  Apostle 
did  this  by  virtue  of  his  apostolic  prerogative,  the 
church    will   suffer  no  damage  whatever,  if  her 


(50   FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

Missionaries,  when  they  find  the  same  false  report 
circulating  to  the  prejudice  of  the  Gospel,  should 
adopt  the  same  magnanimous  course,  of  norking 
with  their  hands,  in  order  to  put  the  calumny  to 
death,  and  triumph  over  it  with  a  holy  indignation 
and  joy ;  and  not  only  contribute  to  their  own  ne- 
cessities, but  even  to  the  necessities  of  others  who 
have  need.  But  I  would  advise  them  first  to 
beware  that  they  become  not  instrumental  in 
spreading  the  very  notion,  that  they  are  hirelings 
and  gainers,  by  taking  fixed  and  stated  salaries, 
like  any  other  craftsmen,  which  is  the  sure  and 
certain  way  to  make  themselves  not  only  be  re- 
puted but  justly  regarded  as  hirehng  craftsmen. 
So  that  this  example  of  Paul's  deviation  doth,  as 
it  were,  rivet  upon  both  sides,  the  well-driven  and 
well-directed  bolt  of  the  Lord :  inasmuch  as  he 
honoureth  the  fundamental  principle,  that  the 
Gospel  should  seek  and  have  no  worldly  emolu- 
ment, nor  depend  upon  any  expedient  of  earthly 
dignity ;  w  hile,  in  order  to  make  the  principle 
triumphant  in  an  extreme  case  which  occurred  in 
his  travels,  he  reacheth  into  the  region  of  self-de- 
nial and  destitution  farther  than  the  Lord  required, 
in  order  to  get  the  weapons  with  which  to  meet 
the  new  and  unprecedented  obstacle  that  had 
been  opposed  to  his  course.  And  while  he  rivetr? 
the  well-directed  bolt  of  the  Lord,  he  reproves 
that  poor  and  pithless  weapon  with  which  the 
prudent  spirit  ot  these  times  aimeth  its  puny  blow 
at  the  Heathen  world.  For,  truly,  we  moderns 
have  taken  the  very  means  to  create  that  stum- 
bling block  which  Paul  found  in  his  way  at  Co- 
rinth, by  so  constituting  the  Missionary  office,  as 
that  the  men  of  this  world  might  have  in  th*^ir 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  COXSTITUTIOA'.  6) 

inouth  the  very  words  of  which  Paul  reproved  the 
Corinthians,  and  to  disprove  which  he  needed  to 
adopt  this  voluntary  act  of  self-humiHation.  To 
cure  this,  our  shallow  prudence,  if  we  would  use 
the  lesson  given  hy  this  leader  of  the  Missionary 
army,  we  would  do  well,  for  as  many  years  as  we 
have  fed  and  hired  men,  to  require  that  they 
should  go,  as  Paul  did,  into  the  other  extreme  of 
not  even  eating  and  drinking  at  any  one's  expense, 
but  that  they  should  support  themselves  by  the 
labour  of  their  hands,  and  glory  thereby  over  the 
false  prejudice  with  which  the  cause,  by  our  mis- 
management, hath  come  to  be  circumvented.  This 
is  the  proper  use  of  the  Apostle's  deviation. 
Now,   further,  lest  a  sentence  which  r-  ,u 

.         ,  ,  .  Ill  urmer  ex- 

occurs  in  the  above  quotations  should  be  plained  from 
turned  aside  to  justify  the  modern  method  the  Phiii>  * ' 
of  furnishing  out  the  Missionary,  which  P'*"^' 
the  occurrence  at  Corinth  doth  so  utterlj  discoun- 
tenance ;  it  is  fortunate,  that,  from  the  Epistle  to 
the  Philippians  we  can  explain  what  those  wages 
were  which  Paul  took,  and  what  his  robbery  of 
the  churches,  and  what  the  supply  of  the  Macedo- 
nian brethren,  by  the  help  of  which  he  carried 
out  his  hardy  scheme  of  confuting  the  false  report 
by  which  the  enemy  had  sought  to  impede  his 
missionary  progress.  It  is  found  written  in  the 
conclusion  of  his  epistle  to  the  Philippians  (and 
how  happy  I  am  to  make  such  quotations,  God 
knoweth  !  for  they  bear  my  spirit  up  in  the  hope- 
lessness of  this  controversy,)  "  But  1  re-  Phii.  iv.  lo. 
joiced  in  the  Lord  greatly,  that  now  at  the  last 
your  care  of  me  hath  flourished  again;  wherein  ye 
were  also  careful,  but  ye  lacked  opportunity.  Not 
that  I  speak  in  respect  of  want ;  for  I  have  learned, 


&1     FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  tlierewith  to  be  content. 
I  know  both  how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  how 
to  abound;  and  in  all  things  I  am  instructed  both 
to  be  full  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  aV)ound  and 
to  sulTer  need.  I  can  do  all  tilings  through  Christ 
which  strengtheneth  me.  Notwithstanding  ye 
have  well  done,  that  ye  did  communicate  with  my 
affliction.  Now,  ye  Phiiippians.  know  also  that 
in  the  beginning  of  the  Gospel,  when  I  departed 
from  Macedonia,  no  church  communicated  with 
me  as  concerning  giving  and  receiving,  hut  ye 
only.  For  even  in  Thcssalonica  ye  sent  once  and 
again  unto  my  necessity.  Not  because  I  desire  a 
gift ;  but  1  desire  fruit  that  may  abound  to  your 
account.  But  I  have  all  and  abound :  I  am  full, 
having  received  of  Epaphrodilus  the  things  which 
were  sent  from  you,  an  odour  of  a  sweet  smell,  a 
sacrifice  acceptable,  well-pleasing  to  God.  But 
my  God  shall  supply  all  your  need,  according  to 
his  riches  in  glory,  by  Chirist  Jesus."  This  is  the 
Apostle's  receipt  in  full  for  his  wages;  this  is  his 
voluntary  confession  of  his  robbery  ;  this  is  the 
help  with  wliich  he  was  helped  at  Corinth  of  these 
good  Philippians.  And  as  the  ibrmer  quotations 
are  a  proot  of  his  most  nice  and  chary  delicacy 
lest  the  Gospel  of  Christ  should  be  breathed  on 
with  any  aspersion,  and  of  his  magnanimity  to 
bear  every  extreme  of  hardship,  rather  than  the 
missionary  calling  should  be  calumniated  ;  let  this 
stand  tor  the  proot  of  his  most  generous  spirit  to 
partake  and  receive  brotherly  help.  And  let  it 
divide  and  distinguish  that  chariness  and  mag- 
nanimity from  the  natural  pride  and  independence 
of  the  human  heart;  from  which  the  former  spirit 
is  as  distinct  and  distinguishable,  as  the  spirit  of 


PliK.PET(jlTV:   OF  THlSj  CON^TITUTIO:*^*  &3- 

Christ,  who  gave  all  heaven's  glory  up  and  took  \ 
mendicant  crumbs  of  men,  is  distinct  and  distin-  \ 
guishable  from  Satan's  spirit,  who,  though  ihet\ 
brightest  of  the  sons  of  the  morning,  could  not-  j 
brook  the  rich  endowment  because  he  had  to  give,/ 
for  it  an  act  of  reverence  to  the  Most  High  God. 5 
And  let  it  show,  moreover,  into  what  straits  Paul 
passed,  and  with  what  difficulties  he  was  beset 
around,  in  following  out  his  missionary  peregrina- 
tions, and  how  he  had  no  dependence  upon  foreign 
churches;  (for  iio  one  communicated  with  him 
save  this  of  Phiiippi,  whose  gift  he  knew  not  of, 
and  expected  not,  till  Epaphroditus  brought  it  in 
his  hand.)  And,  finally,  let  it  show  how  the  Lord, 
the  Son  of  Peace,  forsook  not  in  his  wandering, 
his  hungered,  his  own  laborious  workman,  vvhose 
niggard  craft,  oft  interrupted,  yielding  him  but  a 
bare  support,  he  brought  him  supplies  from  afar, 
and  made  them  to  follow  him  to  Thessalonica,  to 
Corinth,  to  Rome,  every  where  through  the  hea- 
then desert,  as  the  waters  of  Meribah  and  the 
quails  of  the  morning  and  the  evening,  followed 
the  sandy  parched  footing  of  the  camp  of  Israel. 
After  perusing  which  examples,  will  any  one 
say  that  Paul  conformed  not  to  the  ritual  of  the 
missionary  school,  because  he  took  foreign  sup- 
plies when  they  Avere  offered,  and  wrought  with 
his  hands  when  it  served  his  turn  ?  Thou  art  right, 
he  conformed  not;  that  is,  he  did  more  than  con- 
form ;  he  was  an  A  postle,  and  more  than  an  Apos- 
tle, for  he  magnified  the  Apostleship.  Go  thou 
and  do  likewise.  Be  more  than  a  Missionary, 
magnify  the  Missionary  office,  and  in  such  a  way 
show  thy  non-conformity  to  thy  Lord's  commission 
and  passport.  But  first,  be  careful  that  thou  art  a 
Missionary,  and  that  the  office  in  thy  hand  is  not 

12 


64     FOR  MfSsrONAUtES'  AFTtll  TRE  APOSTOry.  SCHOOL^ 

mini^hcd  of  its  due  size  nor  shorn  of  its  proper 
beams. 

Another  ap  I  have  heard  quoted,  as  another  de- 
r,!f "! fr if."  viation  from  the  letter  of  the  missionary 
cdinihcsd  charter,  wliat  is  obscurely  hinted  at  m 
.fohn.  proves  the  Epistle  ©f  J(^n,  addrestsed  to  Gaius, 
the  same.  j^^  thesc  words,  "  Beloved,  thou  doest 
faithfully  whatsoever  thou  doest  to  the  brethren 
and  to  strangers;  which  have  borne  witness  of 
thy  charity  before  the  church  :  whom  if  thou  bring 
forward  on  their  Journey  after  a  godly  sort,  thou 
shalt  do  well ;  because  that  for  his  name's  sake 
they  went  forth,  taking  nothing  of  the  Gentiles. 
We,  therefore,  ought  to  receive  such,  that  we  may 
be  fellow-helpers  of  the  truth."  This,  like  the 
former,  proveth  more  for  the  spirit  of  the  mis- 
sionary charter,  than  if  it  had  been  in  most  exact 
conformity  wMth  its  letter;  showing,  first,  that  the 
travellers  and  ambassadors  of  the  kingdom,  in 
these  times,  were  wont  to  be  brought  on  their 
way  from  place  to  place  by  the  charity  of  brethren, 
even  though  strangers,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  be 
beholden  to  their  charity;  secondly,  that  they 
went  forth  to  the  Gentiles  without  any  means  of 
conveying  themselves  thither,  but  needed  assist- 
ance to  reach  the  scene  of  their  labours ;  and 
having  readied  the  harvest-field,  they  put  in  their 
sickle  and  reaped  without  any  hire,  taking  nothing 
for  their  reward,  but  passed  on  dependent  as 
before  upon  the  bounty  of  the  brethren.  So  much 
the  passage  proves,  that  these  Christian  expedi- 
tions were  undertaken  without  any  dependence 
upon  way&  and  means,  and  were  executed  without 
any  fee  or  reward  ;  but  it:  does  by  no  means  pro^e 
that  while  they  were  with  the  Gentiles  they  re- 
luscd  lo  be  beholden  to  them  for  their  subsistence- 


OTiRPE;TFITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  05 

They  took  nothing  from  the  Gentiles,  and  needed 
to  be  helped  on  their  way,  that  is,  they  departed 
as  poor  as  they  came  ;  but  how  they  fared  amongst 
them  is  not  stated,  because  it  was  not  necessary 
for  the  Apostle  to  state  more  than  tlieir  present 
condition,  as  his  argument  for  the  brethren  to  help 
them.  The  passage,  therefore,  is  nothing  more 
than  a  certificate  of  the  poverty  and  disinterested- 
ness of  these  Missionaries,  given  under  the  hand  of 
an  Apostle  to  a  brother,  who,  on  other  occasions, 
had  been  helpful  to  the  brethren.  How  much  it 
supports  the  spirit  of  the  Apostolical  school  of 
Missionaries,  any  one  can  see;  how  it  bearetlt 
upon  the  present  school,  it  is  not  yet  the  time  to 
discourse  of  at  large. 

And  other  instances  of  this  kind  oc-  other  de- 
cur  in  the  Apostolical  record.  Paul,  viauon?,  at- 
WTiting  to  Philemon  from  his  bonds  in  EameWer- 
Rome,  desires  him  to  provide  him  a  lodg-  *"'"" 
ing,  trusting  that  through  their  prayers  he  would 
be  given  to  them.  He  was  then  Paul  the  aged, 
and  Philemon  was  his  dearly  beloved  brother 
and  fellow-labourer,  from  whom  he  might,  with- 
out fear  of  misconstruction,  ask  such  a  favour;  yet 
with  what  delicacy  he  touclies  upon  pecuniary 
matters,  anyone  who  reads  that  model  of  delicate 
affection  may  well  apprehend.  At  Rome,  in  like 
manner,  he  dwelt  two  years  in  his  own  hired  house, 
and  received  all  that  came  in  unto  him ;  because 
he  w  as  there  as  a  prisoner  upon  parole,  and  ac- 
commodated his  apostolic  character  to  his  forced 
conditions  ;  but  on  his  journey  to  Rome,  the  Mis- 
sionary constitution  was  fulfilled  to  the  letter  by 
the  brethren  at  Puteoli,  with  w  hom  he  was  desired 
to^stay  seven  days;  and  also  by  the  brethren  at 
Rome,  who  met  him  at  the  7'hree  Taverns,  and 


01)   POR   MlSSIOiNARreS  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.   SCHOOL. 

conductod  him  on  his  way.  In  like  manner,  Titus 
is  iiistrijcfed  to  brin^j  Zcnas  the  lawyer,  and  Apol- 
los,  on  their  journey  diligently,  that  notliing  be 
Wanting  unto  them.  In  like  manner,  he  writes  to 
the  Corinthians  concerning  Timotheus.  that  they 
Avould  "  conduct  him  forth  in  peace,  that  he  may 
come  unto  me."  And  of  such  importance  was 
this  part  of  apostolical  discipline  held,  that  it  is 
enjoined  in  general  precepts  like  any  other  great 
head  of  Christian  duty,  *<-  to  distribute  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  saints,  and  to  be  given  to  hospitality  ;** 
and  it  is  set  down  as  a  mark  of  those  widows  who 
are  to  be  taken  into  the  number,  "  that  they  have 
lodged  strangers ;"  and  of  a  bishop  it  is  recjuired, 
as  an  indispensable  quality,  that  he  should  be 
given  to  hospitality ;  and  to  all  it  is  often  enjoin- 
ed, as  to  the  Hebrews,  "  that  they  be  not  forgetful 
to  entertain  strangers,  for  thereby  some  have  en- 
tertained angels  unawares." 

Sometimes,  in  casting  my  e^'e  back 
of'the^'do^  over  what  1  have  written,  and  consider- 
oratlw  oc!^  ing  the  new  doctrine  which  1  have  dared 
caBionethat  to  advancc  in  opposition  to  the  universal 
lationlje-^^''  practicc  of  tlic  Churches,  I  have  felt  a 
lioveii?^"*  fear  come  over  my  mind,  as  ii  1  had  been 
guilty  of  presumption  in  daring  to  inter- 
pret God's  word,  upon  this  subject,  ibr  myself. 
But  the  more  I  have  been  led  to  study  it,  by  the 
opposition  which  these  ideas  have  received,  the 
more  I  have  been  convinced  ot  their  truth.  The 
passages  which  have  been  quoted  against  them, 
have,  upon  deliberate  study,  turned  out  to  be  in 
their  favour;  and  tlie  instances  which  have  been 
given  of  deviation,  have  always  provetl  to  be  de- 
viations in  excess,  not  in  dele(;t,  of  the  standard 
ol  faitii    an<l    self-denial.     Moreover,    in    makina^ 


PERPETUITY   OF  THIS  CONSTITUTiON.  67 

those  researches  into  the  primitive  appointments  of 
Messiah,  and  practices  of  his  Apostohc  servants, 
many  new  convictions  have  been  brought  to  our 
mind  concerning  the  office  of  the  pastor,  and  the 
office  of  the  preacher,  which  differ  from  the  ap- 
proved notions  as  widely  as  those  which  we  have 
set  forth  of  the  Missionary.  So  that,  silently,  we 
have  come  to  the  strong  and  steady  persuasion 
that  this  is  but  a  silver  age  of  the  Church,  taken 
at  its  best,  and  that  the  golden  age  is  yet  to  come; 
that  we  are  not  perfect,  any  more  than  our  fathers  ; 
that  we  should  learn  to  believe  in  our  imperfec- 
tions, and  welcome  any  one  who  will  honestly  de- 
clare them  to  us. 

Sometimes,  on  the   other   hand,   I   have  been 
tempted  to  indignation  and  wrath,  that 
the  institution  and  appointment  of  the  !>njoftenei 
great   head   of  the  Church  should  have  atthVda'ring 
been  so  widely  departed  from  in  these  woiiTtamper 
modern  times,  and  being   honestly  and  ^'"'1'''^ 
plainly  stated,  should   find  so  little   fa-  appointment; 
vour  in  the  eyes  of  a  generation   which 
prideth  itself  in  the  evangelical  character  of  its 
f  missionary    undertakings.     And    that,   instead   of 
\  going  about  to  seek  men  who  were  advanced  in 
I  faith  to  the  height  of  the  undertaking,  they  have 
I  gone    about    to    reduce    the    undertaking  to  the 
j  measure  of  an  ordinary  faith,  and  have  attracted 
I  to  the  service  many  who  were  hardly  fit  for  a  pas- 
Itoral  care  in  the  Church  at  home,  much  less  for 
{laying  the  foundation  of  Christian  empire  abroad. 
But  most  of  all  hath  a  holy  indignation  risen  with- 
in my  breast,  when,  to  keep  up  the  popular  glory 
and  renown  of  their  work,  which  they  should  be 
ever  rectifying  by  the  word  of  God,  they  should 
be  content   rather   to  obliterate   and  annul  that 


(>8    FOR  MISSIONARIES  AprER  TKE  APOBTOk.  SCHOUI., 

part  of  his  holy  word  which  is  ahle  to  ^\\c  them 
counsel.  It  is  instructive  of  the  seli-exaltation  of 
man  to  hear  with  what  cool  iiidifference  thej 
would  consign  to  uselessness  those  immortal  coun- 
sels which  our  Lord  gave  for  the  conduct  of  Chris- 
tian Missionaries,  in  order  that  they  may  have  the 
field  open  for  their  own  infaUibility.  They  would 
break  through  all  rules  and  laws  of  interpretation, 
and  to  a  passage  whose  every  word  and  sentence 
breathesimmortality,  they  would  give  a  temporary 
application,  destroying  its  obligation,  losing  its 
comfort,  and  abolishing  its  promises  to  the  evil- 
entreated  messenger  of  peace ; — all  because  it 
contains  in  its  bosom  two  clauses  which  were  ne- 
cessary to  make  it  useful  and  applicable  to  the 
time  which  then  was,  as  well  as  to  the  times  which 
were  to  come.  Against  this  1  have  argued  by  an 
analysis  of  the  passage,  against  it  I  have  protested 
by  an  appeal  to  the  apostolical  times,  in  the  hope 
of  being  able  to  prevail  by  argument  and  appeal: 
though  I  confess,  with  slender  hope  in  a  time 
when  names  or  periodical  organs  of  opinion  have 
obtained  almost  the  whole  authority  in  the 
Church. 

becauFcu  ^ut  if  there  be  left  in  the  Church  any 

applied  10       reverence  lor  the  Holy  Scripture,  anv 

those  tiincs  .  ^ 

as  well  as  to  lovc  to  thc  words  of  ChHst,  any  supe- 
our  times.  rio^ty  to  the  things  of  sight,  and  trust  in 
the  good  promises  of  God,  any  memory  of  her 
past  triumphs,  or  any  hope  of  future  victory,  by 
these  I  do  entreat  the  Church  to  hesitate  how  she 
discredits  this  portion  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  bo- 
cause  it  applied  to  those  times  no  less  than  to  all 
other  times.  For  upon  the  same  principle  she 
would  annul  every  word  of  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,    which  was  suggested   by  Je\vish    error? 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITITTION".  69 

and  was  given  for  the  abolition  of  Jewish  errors^ ; 
and  every  parable,  and  every  rebuke,  and  every 
exhortation,  and  every  instruction  of  the  Lord, 
which  all  sprung  out  of  the  occasion  presented  to 
hirii,  and  applied  to  it  with  far  more  exemption  of 
every  other  occasion  than  the  passage  before  us ; 
which,  if  it  be  distinguished  by  any  thing,  is  dis- 
tinguished by  this,  from  most  other  of  our  Lord's 
discourses,  that  it  will  not  apply,  cannot  by  any 
showing  be  made  to  apply  to  that  occasion,  but 
bursts  all  limitations  of  time  and  place,  and  writes 
its  own  superscription  to  be,  to  the  Church  uni- 
versal upon  the  earth.  There  are  some  passages 
in  our  Lord's  instructions  which  apply  only  to  a 
particular  time  and  condition  of  things,  such  as 
that  spoken  at  the  Last  Supper,  of  which  we  have 
given  a  commentary  above,  and  which  can  never 
come  to  be  applicable  again,  because  the  Son  of 
Man  can  never  again  be  removed  by  the  hour  and 
power  of  darkness  from  the  power  of  protecting 
his  Church.  But  when  any  man  would  rob  the 
Church  of  any  of  the  Lord's  sayings,  which  the 
first  Apostles  were  glad  to  catch  from  oblivion, 
rather  than  to  convey  to  it  (of  which  their  zeal 
we  have  seen  an  instance  quoted  from  the  Mis- 
sionary charter,  1  Cor.  ix.  11.,  and  may  see  another. 
Acts  XX.  35.  in  Paul's  discourse  to  the  Elders  of 
the  Ephesian  Church,)  then,  that  man  should  be 
indicted  as  guilty  of  high  treason  to  our  king,  who 
liveth  upon  earth  only  in  his  words, — of  sedition 
against  his  kingdom,  whose  laws  are  the  words 
of  our  everlasting  King. 

Upon  the  Foolisli  mcu  !  vain,  ignorant,  and  fool- 

ph^cipkof'    ish  men !  they  know  not  what  they  do, 
interpreta-      j[q  their  hastc  to  aunul  the  precious  words 

tion  they  r   /^i     •  •    i  t  i      i 

nouwdis-      oi  (yhrist:  neither  understand  tuey  the 


70    FOR  MISblONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 


credit  and       natuFC  of  the  words  of  Christ  which  they 
disannul        would    annul.     The   glorious   words   of 
Christ  were  not  for  one  occasion,  but  for 


every  thill 
witich  he 


uttered,—  j^jj  occasions ;  not  for  one  race  of  men. 
but  for  all  races  of  men;  not  for  one  age,  but 
for  all  ages  of  the  world.  And  yet,  in  that  which 
he  said,  there  was  always  something  local,  tempo- 
rary, and  occasional,  enough  of  the  present  time 
and  present  manners,  for  it  to  lay  hold  of  the  feel- 
ings of  the  present  audience.  But  because  the 
eternal  truth  which  he  spoke,  had  around  it  the 
drapery  of  the  times,  did  it  thereby  become  tem- 
porary ?  We,  whose  souls  are  educated  in  time, 
being  of  yesterday,  do  smack  of  time  in  all  our 
thoughts  and  speeches,  except  wherein  we  are 
guided  by  revelations  of  eternity ;  but  He,  who 
was  from  eternity,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and 
for  ever,  partaketh  not,  and  cannot  partake  of  the 
same  infirmity.  The  truth  which  he  spoke,  is 
'.truth  metaphysii^a],  that  is,  truth  independent  of 
//  the  conditions  oftime  and  place,  applicable  to  all 
times  and  places,  and  equally  applicable  when 
time  shall  be  no  more.  The  truth  which  he  spoke  ad- 
dresseth  not  the  temporary  but  the  eternal  in  man  ; 
and  by  awakening  the  immortal  in  us,  enableth  us 
to  shake  oil  the  temporal  coil  with  which  we  are 
enslaved.  Yet,  as  hath  been  said,  the  eternal 
truth  which  he  spake,  and  from  which  all  ages 
since  have  derived  the  knowledge  of  eternity  and 
the  sense  of  immortahty,  had  a  special  application 
to  the  people  to  whom  it  was  first  addressed,  and 
took  hold  of  the  forms  of  thought  then  current  in 
the  world,  in  order  to  deliver  men  from  what  was 
false,  and  manifest  more  clearly  what  was  true,  in 
those  very  things  which  they  believed,  and  by 
which  tliey  were  siirroimded.     But  this  taste  of 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  71 

the  times,  and  glance  at  the  occasion,  must  never 
for  a  moment  beguile  us  into  the  imagination  that 
they  reach  no  further,  and  were  intended  to  reach 
no  further,  than  to  that  occasion.  Otherwise  we 
must  be  content  to  lose  all  which  he  spoke  from 
first  to  last.  For  example:  the  sermon  his  sermon  on 
which  he  preached  on  the  mount,  wherein  ^^^  •"°"°*' 
he  gathered  up  the  fragments  of  all  moral  feeling 
and  moral  law,  to  issue  them  anew  with  divine 
wisdom,  and  write  them  in  everlasting  letters,  not 
only  searched  into  the  j^oints  and  marrow  of  the 
Pharisaical  sophistry  and  hypocrisy,  but  hath  be- 
come to  every  country  where  it  hath  been  published 
abroad,  the  basis  of  law  and  manners,  and  will  con- 
tinue the  perfection  of  both  while  the  world  lasteth. 
Again,  the  comforting  speeches  he  made  his  discourses 
to  his  followers  before  his  crucifixion,  not  of  comfort, 
only  moved  them  to  earnest  questions  indicating 
their  personal  concern  in  what  he  said,  but  have 
been  the  sustenance  of  his  disciples  ever  since,  in 
all  the  trials  of  their  lives,  and  in  the  hour  of  their 
departure ;  and  will  never  cease  to  be  as  refreshing 
to  the  Church  as  the  waters  of  Meribah.  And  his 
prayers,  however  aptly  addressed  to  the  , . 

•  1-1     ii  £•      .      .  t      Ills  prayers, 

occasion  on  w  nich  they  were  nrst  uttered, 
are   still   the    most    frequent  and  the   most   soul- 
impressive  of  all   our  addresses  to  the  throne  of 
God.      And  those  parables,  whose  ima-  j^.^  ^  ^ 
ges,  like  the    Gorgon's   head,   froze   his 
opponents  to  stony   silence,  are   to  this  day   the 
beautiful  pictures  of  all  social  and   religious   du- 
ty; each  one  of  them  the  porch  and  entrance  to  a 
magnificent  temple  of  truth  and  blessedness.     And 
those  very  parables  which  shadow  forth  the  nature 
of  his  kingdom — the  parable  of  the  mustard  seed, 
of  the  leven,  of  the  twelve  virgins,  of  the  steward, 
of  the  royal  feast,  of  the  labourers  in  the  vineyard, 

13 


72     FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOtJL. 

of  the  sower  and  the  seed, — are  not  these  as  appli- 
cable now  as  tlien,  and  as  frequently  enforced  and 
applied  by  the  ministers  of  the  Gospel  ?     And  if  in 
all  other  things  he  spoke  for  eternity,  yet  missed 
not  tlie  present  occasion;  if  in  all  other  things  he 
spoke  for  all  times  and  all  occasions;  who  is  he 
who  will  say,  that  when  equipping  and  instructing 
the  messengers  and  Missionaries  of  his  kingdom, 
upon  whom  all  the  rest  depended,  he  hath  said  no- 
thing perennial,  but  only  spoken  well  for  the  occa- 
sion, and  must  not  be  understood  as  instructing  us 
in  the  same  terms  in  which  he  instructed 
domg  which     them  ?      The  man  that  aaith  or  fancieth 
Io?enmf         ^^'  ^^^^'^  need  to  learn  again  what  be  the 
wained  and     first  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ ; 
and  1  warn  him  to  beware  how  he  taketh 
from  or  addeth  to  the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this 
book,  lest  God  shall  add  unto  him  all  the  plagues 
that  are  written  in  this  book ;  how^  he  break  one  of 
these  commandments,  or  teach  others  to  do   so, 
that  he  be  not  called  least  in  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven.    If  he,  the  King  and  Founder  of  the  spiritual 
kingdom,  in  whom  dwelt  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom 
and  knowledge,  did  not  understand  and  know  the 
full  provision  and  furniture  for  his  own  envoys  and 
ambassadors,  the   strength  in  which    they  should 
fight,  and   the  weapons   with   which  they  should 
overcome  the  powers  of  darkness,  I  marvel,  indeed, 
who  should  understand  and  know  them;  and  if  his 
rules  fail  to  be  applicable  to  our  case,  I  marvel  who 
shall  help  out  their  inefficiency.     The  Church,  say 
you  ;    but  w  hat  is  the  Church  without  its  Head  ? 
and  where  is  its  counsel  without  its  Counsellor? 
and  where  its  authority  without  the  Spirit  of  Christ? 
Therefore,  let  no  man  nor  body  of  men,  no  Chris- 
tian or  society  of  Christians,  nor  the  whole  visible 
Church,  in  their  presumption;  dare  to  say,  these  in- 


PERPETUITY  OF  THfS  CONSTITUTION.  t^ 

stmctions  of  Christ  to  the  messengers  of  the  king- 
dom are  now  inapplicable,  are  Utopian,  are  extreme, 
are  to  be  cautiojisly  interpreted,  and  prudently  car- 
ried into  effect.  For  if  these  be  cast  aside,  I,  for 
one,  see  not  upon  what  scriptural  basis  a  Mis- 
sionary .Society  resteth.  Nor  do  I  see  by  what 
principle  a  Christian  Missionary  is  to  guide  himself 
But  these  instructions  remaining,  I  perceive  the 
use  of  a  Missionary  College,  to  see  tJiem  carried 
into  effect ;  and  1  see  the  calling  of  a  Missionary  to 
he  the  highest  upon  earth,  and  the  nearest  unto 
God ;  I  see  that  he  is  a  messenger  not  of  time  but 
of  eternity ;  that  his  soul  is  dressed  not  in  the  con- 
fidence and  trust  of  time,  but  of  eternity ;  that  he  is 
a  man  of  faith,  and  of  faith  alone,  and  therefore  able 
to  plant  faith  wherever  he  is  permitted  ;  and  I  per- 
ceiv  e  that  the  world  is  his  diocese :  and  if  the  world 
is  mad  enough  to  despatch  him  away  from  its  coast, 
then  I  find  a  haven  of  rest  and  glory  provided  for 
him  by  these  his  instructions.  In  short,  without 
this  document,  I  am  all  at  sea  upon  the  Missionary 
question,  and  must  handle  it  like  a  question  of  state 
policy,  or  of  church  management :  but  preserviiig 
this,  I  have  the  Magna  Charta  of  the  Missionary 
Constitution,  the  description  of  the  Missionary  cha- 
racter, the  scale  of  his  qualifications,  the  directory 
of  his  procedure,  his  safe-conduct  from  the  court 
above,  and  his  assurance  of  success  upon  earth,  and 
of  immortality  in  heaven. 


ORATION  III. 


THE  PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  MISSIONARY  CONSTI- 
TUTION PROVED. 


II.  From  the  Analogy  of  the  Christian  Faith  and  Discipline. 

Having  thus  established  beyond  a  ques-  ^vhythis 
tion,  from  the  document  itself,  that  it  is  sUoui'd^" 
written  for  all  ages;  and  having  shown  Iioirwr"' 
that  it  was  acted  upon  in  the  spirit,  and  ""^"s'l' 
beyond  the  letter,  by  the  Apostles  and  first  Mission- 
aries of  the  Church,  I  see  not  what  remains  further 
to  be  said  in  order  to  prove  that  it  ought  still  to  be 
regarded  as  the  constitution  of  the  Missionary  es- 
tate, and  the  directory  of  the  missionary  course ; 
but  I  feel,  while  I  speak,  a  certain  inward  admoni- 
tion, to  weave  the  tissue  of  my  argument  as  it  were 
of  double  strength.  For  I  seem  to  see  the  appari- 
tion of  many  enemies,  and  to  have  the  foretaste  of 
a  fiery  trial,  for  these  thoughts  which  I  have  adven- 
tured forth.  The  warlike  Spirit  of  the  Crusaders, 
who  unsheathed  the  sword  which  the  blasphemous 
Father  of  Christendom  had  blessed,  and  unfurled 
the  consecrated  banner  of  the  cross,  therewith  to 
spread  the  Gospel  of  peace,  and  the  artful  Spirit  of 
the  Jesuits,  who  brought  all  the  stores  of  human 
wit  and  worldly  wisdom  to  the  same  great  under- 
taking, and  the  Spirits  ofthismonied  aiid  prudential 
age,  who  preach  the  crusade  of  gold  as  eagerly  as 
Peter  the  Hermit  preached  the  crusade  of  steel ; 
all  these  seem  to  arise  to  overwhelm  the  poor  wight 
who  shall  say  that  neither  gold,  nor  steel,  nor  world- 
ly wisdom,  are  essential  to  the  equipment  of  a  Mis- 


Vti      FOR   .MISalO.NARlES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

sionary ;  but  so  far  from  being  the  allies  of  Christ 
in  the  propagation  of  the  spiritual  kingdom,  are  tlie 
three  chief  powers  against  whose  combined  strength 
his  servants  have  to  make  their  way,  and  upon 
whose  humbled  pride  they  have  to  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  His  empire. 

J  Therefore,  I  oft  pause  and  look  to  my 

author  pur-  instructious,  aijd  see  whether  I  be  well 
posethtodo,  sustained  in  the  cause  which  1  plead, 
and  a  still  small  voice  w  hispereth  to  me  that  I  am. 
The  monitor  within  me  saith  unto  my  hesitating 
mind,  Beholdest  thou  not  that  the  deficiency  of 
earthly  means  is  balanced  by  the  sufficiency  of 
imearthly  promises?  and  that  though  there  be  no 
purse  wherewithal  to  purchase  the  means  of  life, 
there  is  an  admonition  from  Heaven  to  all  men,  to 
take  the  unprovided  Missionary  to  their  home,  and 
give  him  bread  and  water  ?  and  though  there  be  no 
steel  with  which  to  cleave  obstacles  in  twain,  there 
is  the  Word  of  God,  which  is  a  hammer  that  break- 
cth  the  rock  in  pieces  ?  and  though  there  be  no 
defence  of  Jesuitical  wiles,  there  is  the  eye  of  Pro- 
vidence which  counteth  every  hair  upon  their  head, 
and  holdeth  their  lives  more  dear  than  the  beasts 
of  the  field  and  the  fowls  of  heaven,  for  w  hich  he 
liberally  provideth?  Perceivest  thou  not  that  the 
former  and  the  latter  end  of  the  instructions  balance 
and  sustain  each  other,  and  that  if  the  former  be 
taken  away,  the  latter  hath  no  counterpoise,  and 
the  whole  proportion  and  wisdom  of  the  passage  is 
destroyed  ?  Therefore,  seeing  it  w  ill  not  permit  of 
mutilation,  or  of  abrogation,  or  of  temporizing,  what 
can  I  do  but  redeem  my  pledge  of  upholding  the 
truth  of  my  Master,  with  that  liberty  of  prophesy- 
ing which  this  grave  and  revered  assembly,  tnking 
example  from  those  three  still  more  venerable  as- 
'^rmblios.  mentioned  at  the  beginning,  will  not  bin- 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  77 

der  in  him  whom  they  have  set  up  to  prophesy  to 
them  out  of  the  word  of  the  Lord. 

It  is  not  for  the  words,  purse,  scrip,  rai-  because  it  is 
ment,  staff,  and  fHendship,  that  I  contend,  an  argument 
Whether  a  man  shall  have  money,  provi-  fngs  and  re-' 
sions,  comforts,  conveniences  of  travel,  and  |i*,^'^i"'i'„^"*^ 
friendly  sustenances,  or   shall   not   have  themost' 
them,  is  not  the  question  :  Whether  a  man  reSso"fthe 
shall  hide  himself  from  all  the  secondary  ^^'^''^^' 
means  of  prosperity,  or  'shall  profit  by  them,  is  not 
the   question.     The  question   is   concerning   those 
fields  of  interest,  those  spheres  of  ambition,  and 
refuges  of  trust,  which  the  words,  purse,  scrip,  rai- 
ment, staff,  and  friendship  denote :  Whether  the 
Missionary  shall  occupy  any  of  them,  or  shall  not : 
Whether  he  shall  go  forth  independent  of  them,  or 
dependent  on  them :  Whether  his  character  shall 
be  moulded  and  modelled  after  the  fancy  of  the 
times,  and   the  current  maxims  of  the   Chiristian 
world,  or  shall  stand  unalienable  and  unalterable, 
like  the  character  of  the  Pastor  or  the  Christian. 
If  a  Missionary,  possessing  all  these  things,  can  be 
a  man  of  as  entire  faith  and  devotion  as  though  he 
had  them  not,  it  is  a  small  matter  so  far  as  he  him- 
self is  concerned ;  yet  not  a  small  matter,  as  we 
shall  see,  so  far  as  the  success  of  the  work  is  con- 
cerned :  but  it  is  not  a  small  matter,  whether  the 
idea  of  the  Christian  Church  concerning  these  offi- 
ces  shall    be   a  constant  or  a  changeable  thing; 
whether  the  idea  of  the  Missionary  concerning  his 
office  shall  descend   to  him  of  God,  or  descend  to 
him  of  men ;  and  whether  those  that  guide  the  work 
shall  consider  themselves,  as  infallible  to  give  law 
to  the  Missionary, — a  commission,  self-appointed, 
of  oyer  and  terminer  in  this  great  cause,  or  men  acting 
under  authority,  under  responsibility,  and  by  exact- 
ly precribed  rules.     These  are  questions  vitally 


78       FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

conccrninj]^  both  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  well- 
being  of  man;  and  I  tee^  that  1  have  been  agitating 
a  mighty  matter,  and  am  myself  under  terrible  re- 
sponsibihty.  if  I  advocate  not  to  the  utmost  the  per- 
petuity of  these  decrees. 

.  Taking  courage,  therefore,  I  now  ven- 

thatthisis  turc  a  little  higher  into  the  dignity  of  this 
tionai,*^bur"  argument,  and  declare  that  not  only  do 
the  necessary   {\^q  Unrepealed  authority  and  the  intrinsi- 

fbnn  of  the  »  />      i  •  •  i  ■      i 

Missionary  cal  character  ot  these  instructions  bind 
character.  (jj^j^  forcvcr  upou  tlic  propagators  of  the 
kingdom,  but  that,  from  the  nature  of  the  Gospel 
itself,  he  who  propagates  the  Gospel  must  be  sepa- 
rate from  worldly  interests,  and  stand  aloof  irom 
worldly  occupations ;  and  just  in  proportion  as  he 
getteth  under  the  spirit  of  his  high  vocation,  he  will, 
of  his  own  accord,  though  there  were  no  binding 
precept  upon  the  subject,  cast  himself  into  that 
outward  condition  here  presented  to  the  twelve 
great  champions  of  Christendom.  It  is  not  a  cou- 
ventiomd  but  an  appropriate^  not  an  expedient  but  a 
necessary  character  for  every  one  who  possesseth  a 
certain  measure  of  God's  spirit:  or,  to  speak  in  the 
language  of  the  metaphysical  schools,  it  is  the  out- 
ward and  necessary  form  under  which  a  certain 
large  measure  of  spiritual  iniluence  will  always 
manifest  itself  But  first,  it  may  be  necessary  to 
explain  the  language  which  I  use. 
AH  spiritual  The  twofold  uaturc  of  man,  body  and 
essences  spirit,  uiaketh  it  necessary  that  every 
an  outward  tliiiis  by  whicli  lic  is  to  bc  movcd  should 
Profitable  to  Have  an  outward  form.  ^V  iiile  yet  it  lives 
'"^"'  in  spiritual  essence  alone,  it  is  to  him  as 

if  it  lived  not,  and  its  life  hath  over  his  life  no  in- 
iluence or  control.  Hence  the  great  Father  of  Spi- 
rits halh  given  to  all  the  attributes  of  his  being  an 
outward  form  and  manifestation.     The  heavens  dc- 


FERPETLITY  OF  THiy  CO.N'STITUTIOX.  79 

dare  Iiis  t^lory,  and  the  earth  slioweth  forth  [iis 
handy-work;  and  the  sun  nhich  circleth  round  the 
earth,  is  the  tabernacle  ot"  his  effiiltrcncy.  T!ie 
written  law,  which  is  holy  and  just  and  ^ood,  is  the 
form  of  his  holiness;  and  the  Gospel  of  his  Son  is 
the  form  of  his  mercy  and  grace.  Heaven  is  the 
outward  form  of  his  blessedness,  and  hell  of  his 
fearful  wrath  against  the  rebellious.  And  every 
doctrine  in  revelation  is  a  form  to  the  in-        ^  ,, 

/.  ...  . ,  even  God  s 

teliect  oi  some  spiritual   attribute  of  t!ie  anributea 
Invisible: — the  doctrine  of  the  atonement,  "'"''^'"' 
of  his  justice ;  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  of 
his  help.     And  to  the  most  noble  and  capital  truths 
or  doctrines,   he  giveth  not  only  a  form  for  the  in- 
tellect, but  for  the  \cry  sense  of  man.     His  incar- 
nate  Son  is   the  fleshly  form  of  his  glory,  a.,,)  no.  on- 
and  the  visible  image  of  his  person.     The  lyiothom- 
doctrine  of  our   natural    corruption    and  oOeiiio'the 
gracious  purification  by  the  blood  oiChrist,  '*'^"^' 
hath  the  sensible  form  of  Baptism.    And  the  doctrine 
of  our  continued  sustenance  by  his  Word  and  Spi- 
rit, hath  the  sensible  form  of  the  Supper.     And  the 
doctrine  of  the  creation  of  the  world,  and  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ,  which  is  the   re-creation  of  the 
world,  hath   the  sensible  form  of  the  weekly  Sab- 
bath.    And  the  visible  Church  is  the  sensible  form 
of  the  heavenly  communion.     And  there  is  nothing 
in  the  being  and  purposes  of  God,  which  it  might 
benefit  man   to  know,  that  hath  not  a  form  of  ex- 
pressing itself  to  the  soul  of  man  through  the  intel- 
lect or  through  the  sense. 

Now,  in  like  manner  as  God  hath  given  j^^,.cp, 
to  his  spiritual  bcino:  a  constant   form  in  '  iiiristan,  in 
revelation,  so  hath  lie  appointed  unto  riis  ai.dcnnrii. 
servants  to  manifest  fh^Jr  spiritual  being  *a'p'^,S"" 
under  some  constant  form.     To  every  man  ou'waf'J 
m  his  station  he  hath  appointed  his  duties : 

14 


80     FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOO£. 

to  the  servant  and  the  master,  the  hushand  and  the 
wife,  the  parent  .and  the  child,  the  ruler  and  the 
ruled;  \vhich  duties  are  the  outward  torm  which 
his  Holy  Spirit  l.iketh  in  these  persons  and  condi- 
tions. To  a  rich  man,  he  hath  given  rules  how  to 
use  his  riches^  and  to  a  poor  man,  how  to  bear  his- 
poverty ;  to  a  wise  man,  how  to  use  his  wisdom, 
and  to  a  fool,  how  he  may  be  cured  of  his  folly ;  to 
the  strong,  how  to  employ  his  strength,  and  to  the 
sick,  how  to  bear  his  afHiction.  And  so  to  all  the 
various  gifts  of  nature,  allotments  of  Providence, 
and  prefierments  of  rank  and  power,  hath  God  ap- 
pointed a  certain  formulary  for  their  right  manifes- 
tation in  the  sight  of  men ;  nor  alloweth,  without 
rebuke  and  chastisement,  that  these  conditions 
should  be  otherwise  occupied  than  for  the  ends  for 
which  he  hath  bequeathed  them  diversely,  that 
they  might  rightly  occupy  the  diverse  members  of  his 
great  household,  and  bring  out  the  common  weal  of 
also  the  tlic  wliolc  family.     And  while  over  every 

IninSterof  cliamber  of  this  world's  variety  he  ap- 
the  truth,  pointed  a  spiritual  servant  to  preside,  he 
did  also  appoint  an  order  of  men  superior  to  these, 
who  should  travel  over  the  many  chambers  of  the 
house,  and  see  that  each  servant  was  rightly  occu- 
pying till  the  great  householder  should  come ; 
stewards  who  should  neither  occupy  the  treasury 
chambers,  nor  the  attiring  rooms,  nor  the  bazaars 
of  business,  nor  the  museums  of  knowledge,  nor 
the  shops  of  art,  nor  the  halls  o^  judgment,  nor  the 
apartments  of  state  and  dignity,  nor  the  saloons  of 
grace  and  beauty,  nor  the  awtul  places  of  throned 
sovereignty ;  but  who  should  travel  over  all  these 
from  room  to  room,  e\  en  Irom  the  dark  and  labo- 
rious foundations  up  to  the  stately  elevations  and 
gilded  pinnacles  of  society,  surveying  the  work 
and  occupation  of  every  inhabitant,  and  carefully 


PERPETUITY  OP  THIS  COXSTITLTiON.  iil 

keeping  them  to  the  ri<^ht  and  diligent  performance 
of  their  several  parts,  that  they  maj  be  able  to  ren- 
der an  account  of  their  work  when  the  Lord  shall 
come  to  call  the  work  of  every  man  into  judgment. 
This  watchful,  careful  office  app-rtaineth  to  the 
minister  oi'  the  Gospel  or  the  pastor  of  the  souls  of 
the  people,  in  which,  if  he  faithfully  travel,  his  shall 
be  a  great  reward.  But  if  he  stoop  to  engage  him- 
self with  any  of  the  diverse  traffics,  and  meanwhile, 
for  want  of  careful  oversight  and  spiritual  instruc- 
tion, the  souls  committed  to  him  go  astray  to  serve 
other  masters  than  the  Lord,  their  blood  shall  sure- 
ly be  upon  his  head. 

Now,  if  the  Lord  our  God  hath  taken  and  the 
to  himself  a  form  in  the  Scriptures  for  the  ^?'f'°"^'^ 

f.  111.  ,     ^""^  must 

instruction  of  man,  and  hath  instructed  tiaveaform, 
each  of  us  in  his  station  to  take  a  form  ibr  the  edi- 
fication of  one  another,  and  wherever  his  councils 
are  revered  and  obeyed,  hath  added  the  form  of  a 
minister,  who,  standing  aloof  from  the  several  en- 
gagements and  their  temporal  rewards,  shall  be 
His  voice  and  messenger  unto  the  people,  satisfied 
with  the  singular  dignity  thereof;  is  it  to  be  be- 
lieved that  he  should  have  appointed  no  outward 
form  to  those  chief  and  leading  men,  who  were  to 
Knarry  abroad  over  the  earth  these  celestial  instruc- 
tions, and  teach  the  nations  to  rule  their  character 
and  set  forth  their  works  after  the  will  and  pleasure 
of  their  heavenly  Father;  that  giving  to  all  others 
good  and  particular  instructions,  how  they  shall 
best  and  most  happily  fill  their  stations,  he  should 
leave  the  perilous  Apostles  and  Missionaries  of  the 
whole  institution  no  instructions  as  to  the  form 
which  they  should  take,  in  order  to  move  the  na- 
tions and  prevail  on  them  to  return  to  their  rightful 
fealty  to  the  Most  High  ?  This  were  to  build  a  ship, 
with  occupations  for  a  mimerous  crew,  and  births 


<i'J!>      F0R  MISbiONARIES  AFTEK  TFU:  Al'ObTOL.  isCHOOL. 

provided  for  many  officers  and  men,  but  to  make 
no  provision  how  she  should  be  launched  into  the 
deep:  or,  being  launched  into  Uie  deep,  it  were  to 
fill  her  with  plentilul  supplies  to  some  distressed 
colony,  and  man  her  with  able  hands,  but  make  no 
provision  of  a  skilliil  pilot  and  good  instructions  to 
carry  her  through  the  strong  currents  and  stormy 
winds  which  set  adverse  to  her  course.  The  thing 
is  not  once  to  be  imagined  of  Him  who  is  All-wise 
and  All-provident,  as  well  as  All-good  and  bounti- 
ful. j1  priori^  before  any  appeal  to  the  fact,  it  may 
be  concluded  that  the  Missionary  doubtless  will 
have  his  form,  as  well  as  the  people  whom  it  is  his 
calling  to  inform  after  the  will  of  God.  And  his 
form  will  be  after  the  fashion  of  the  minister  or  pas- 
tor, somewhat  more  devout  and  adventurous,  as  the 
discoverer  and  subduer  of  a  country  needeth  to  be 
more  adventurous  than  he  who  keepeth  it  under 
regiment.  The  one  fearless,  the  other  watchful ; 
the  one  expedite  and  ready  for  all  encounters,  the 
other  burdened  with  many  charges  ;  the  Missionary 
a  spiritual  warrior,  the  pastor  a  spiritual  shepherd. 
What  this  ibrm  of  the  Missionary  is,  we 
The  object      havc  already  gathered  from  Messiah's  own 

«fthisOia-  ^.^     ..  r     i\  a^-       •  ^     i 

tion  is  lo  dis-  constitution  oi  tlie  Missionary  estate. 
jSMhat  J^"t  it  ^i^l  ^^^  ^  great  confirmation  of  the 
form  from  the  (loctriuc  if  WO  cau  show  that,  from  the 
God's reve-  vcry  uaturc  of  the  Spirit's  operation  upon 
lations.  jjj^  heart  of  man,  it  must  necessarily  follow 

that  the  Missionary  should  be  such  a  seli-denied 
and  world-divested  creature,  and  that  he  cannot 
come  into  a  more  full  and  suilicient  condition  with- 
out incommoding  himself  and  hindering  his  work  ; 
that  it  is  the  necessary  Ibrm  of  his  ollice,  tiom  which 
every  deviation  must  be  lamented  as  a  defect,  and 
deliverance  from  it  earnestly  ensued  as  an  attain- 
ment of  stature,  and  a  step  towards  success.     Also, 


PERPfiTUiTV  OF  THIS  COXisTlTUTlO.V,  JJ^J 

that  it  hath  been,  from  the  first  of  God's  revelations 
to  the  last  of  them,  the  form  which  the  messengers 
he  chose  either  assumed  at  the  outset,  or  came  to 
in  the  end.  Also,  that  the  work  hath  not  changed 
in  these  times,  that  we  should  ignorantly  conceit  a 
change  in  the  workman  or  his  tools  to  be  expedient. 
Also,  that  this  unworldly  and  extreme  character  of 
the  Missionary  is  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  other 
parts  of  Christian  discipline,  of  which  no  part  can 
be  levelled  down  to  worldly  prudence  and  homely 
practice  without  loss  to  the  Church  and  deception 
of  the  world.  And,  therefore,  that  our  true  course 
in  this  and  all  other  Christian  institutions,  is  to 
work  our  character  up  from  worldly  levels  into 
their  pure  elevations,  assured  that  at  every  step  we 
come  into  nearer  neighbourhood  to  tlie  divine  Spirit, 
and  a  larger  sphere  of  blessing  unto  men.  Such 
is  the  train  of  argument  which  this  Oration  will 
take,  in  order  to  justify  this  form  of  the  Missionary, 
by  showing  its  alliance  and  aiFinity  with  the  rest  of 
the  Christian  revelation. 

It  is  the  nature  of  man,  fallen  from  truth,  ^,^p  ^^.^^^  ^^ 
and  alienated  from  the  life  of  godliness,  theMi?siona- 
diligently  to  seek  how  he  may  bestow  ZmuT 
upon  the  creature,  and  of  all  creatures  Jf'prj,"iV,I'of 
upon  himself,  that  worship  and  glory  the  Hivme 
which  is  due  to  God  alone.  His  talents,  'P'"'"p°""^- 
though  they  be  created  and  matured  by  God ;  his 
knowledge,  though  all  that  he  knows  be  of  God's 
providence  and  handiwork  ;  his  possessions,  though 
they  consist  in  a  portion  of  God's  goods  freely  be- 
stowed ;  his  bodily  strength,  his  form,  his  very  name, 
that  most  airy  and  accidental  of  all  things,  it  is 
man's  nature  to  magnify  into  a  God,  and  to  worship 
as  his  chief  good.  And  some  will  fall  prostrate  before 
science,  and  others  before  literature  ;  and  others  be- 
fore brute  and  senseless  nature  ;  and  others  before 


U4      FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

idols  of  wood  and  brass ;  and,  in  short,  there  is 
nothing  inlicrent  in  the  nature  of  man,  or  existent 
in  the  outward  world,  whereof  the  fallen  soul  hath 
not,  at  some  time  and  place,  made  an  idol,  and  with 
which,  in  all  times  and  places,  it  hath  not  a  ten- 
dency, less  or  more,  to  divide  the  reverence  which 
is  due  to  God  alone.  So  that  the  greatest  impedi- 
ment to  the  progress  of  the  Gospel  in  the  soul 
ariseth  out  of  the  things  which  are  seen  and  tem- 
poral, the  world  and  the  things  of  the  world,  which 
come  to  nought.  These  occupy  our  senses,  and 
thence  steal  into  our  affections,  when  the  imagina- 
tion formeth  them  into  more  lively  and  wily  combi- 
nations, and  the  intellect  busying  itself  with  their 
relation,  at  every  step  of  the  investigation  disco- 
vereth  them  to  be  so  wisely  adapted  to  the  wants  of 
man,  so  stimulative  of  a  thousand  pleasures  of  the 
t^ense,  and  so  profitable  to  the  ambition  and  enjoy- 
ment of  the  present  world,  that  tliey  gain  and  gain 
over  our  time,  our  interests,  our  desires,  our  fears, 
until  at  length  there  is  left  in  the  soul  no  room  lor 
the  Gospel  to  occupy.  All  is  prepossessed  and  pre- 
occupied, when  the  Gospel  comes  into  action,  which 
hath  therefore  to  begin  its  course  by  checking,  cut- 
tino;  otr,  prohibiting,  rebuking,  and  the  like  distaste- 
ful operations,  known  generally  by  the  name  of  re- 
pentance. And  after  having  brought  these  former 
propensities  to  a  stand,  it  seeks  to  drive  them  all 
backward;  to  turn  the  tide  of  bitter  waters  upon 
their  evil  fountain,  and  to  recover  the  fields  of  the 
soul  which  they  had  drowned  and  wasted  from 
their  rightful  possessor.  And  in  proportion  as  this 
Avork  of  emptying  goeth  on,  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
proceedeth,  the  dew  of  God's  blessing  descendeth 
as  upon  the  thirsty  earth,  and  the  fruits  of  the  Spi- 
rit fill  the  former  waste  places;  the  evil  invaders 
are  cast   out.  the  turbulent  possessors  are  quieted, 


PERPETUITY  OB'  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  85 

the  Iamb  lieth  down  with  the  leopard,  and  the 
young  lion  and  the  fatlin^  together,  and  the  desert 
of  our  spiritual  state  rejoiceth  and  blossometh  Hke 
the  rose. 

If  so  it  be  found,  in  the  experience  of  all  ^^^  ^^^^^ 
Christians,  that  the  things  of  the  spirit  «<>  consist  iu 
prosper  in  proportion  as  the  things  of  the  SeTpirU 
flesh  decay,  and  that  confidence  in  the  nesly'' 
right-arm  of  Jehovah  increaseth  as  our  everything 
confidence  decreaseth  in  princes  and  the  ^^*"'"' 
sons  of  men,  in  the  corn,  the  wine,  and  the  oil ;  and 
that  allegiance  unto  Christ  doth  undo  and  dissolve 
the  allegiance  of  the  human  soul  to  Mammon,  and 
Belial,  and  Satan,  and  even  to  the  dearest  and 
nearest  friendships  and  relations  of  life,  it  is  most 
manifest,  that  the  disseminators  of  such  a  doctrine 
over  the  earth  must  be  denuded  of  all  the  things  in 
which  men  place  their  trust,  and  to  which  they 
render  their  homage,  in  order  that  they  may  be 
wholly  under  the  influence  of  that  spirit,  worship 
and  allegiance,  under  which  they  seek  to  reduce 
the  rest  of  men.  And  these  deprivations  exacted 
by  our  Lord,  of  those  who  go  forth  as  the  propaga- 
tors of  his  spiritual  kingdom,  are  to  be  considered 
not  only  in  the  sense  of  tests  or  trials  imposed  by 
him,  or  of  mortifications  imposed  by  themselves,  or 
of  examples  offered  to  the  people  to  whom  they  go 
(though  in  all  these  respects  they  may  and  do  serve 
good  ends,)  but  as  the  necessary  and  indispensable 
condition  to  their  being  wholly  under  that  very 
Spirit  to  which  they  Mould  persuade  the  world  to 
be  subject,  and  as  sure  evidence  that  they  continue 
under  it  so  long  as  they  love  and  submit  to  such  a 
discipline.  Christ  wished  none  but  spiritual  men 
to  take  this  office  upon  themselves ;  and  of  the 
spiritual  men  in  the  church,  he  wished  those  who 
were  strongest  in  faith,  and  those  alone,  to  venture 


86     FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

forth.  Therefore,  he  set  the  mark  to  the  most  un- 
earthly standard,  and  appointed  tliat  there  should 
be  no  purse,  that  is  no  pecuniary  emolument,-  no 
scrip,  that  is  no  possessions ;  no  change  of  raiment, 
that  is  no  pleasures  or  accommodations  ol"  the 
body  ;  no  staff,  that  is  no  ease  or  pleasure  of  travel ; 
no  salutations  by  the  way,  that  is  no  ends  of  natural 
or  social  affection.  Which  he  ordained,  not  be- 
cause he  was  a  hard  master,  for  he  exacteth  of  no 
one  to  undertake  the  perilous  yet  glorious  work ; 
but  because,  if  any  one  would  undertake  it,  he 
would  not  permit  him  to  be  ignorant  of  the  cost, 
but  instructed  him  in  the  measure  of  faith  which 
was  indispensable  to  the  work  ;  saying  to  them. 
Unless  the  things  of  the  Spirit  have  prospered  thus 
and  thus  far  with  thee,  unless  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven hath  prevailed  within  thy  soul,  and  subjected 
all  these  regions  of  natural  gladness,  thou  art  not 
prepared  for  the  work ;  but  if  otherwise,  then  go 
thy  ways,  and,  lo  !  I  am  w  ith  thee  unto  the  end  of 
the  world. 

To  winch  II   this    argument,   drawn   of  necessity 

find  himreif  ^'"^"^  ^^^^  naturc  of  the  Christian  spirit,  be 
shut  up  in  well  founded,  then  it  will  follow  that 
KpFroIdi  amongst  those  who  are  full  of  the  Spirit, 
toitaccord-     j^^  ^yi^^  j^^^j^  ^  Dursc  IS  as  he  who  hath 

injasheis  i        i        i  •  i  i 

faithful.  none,  and  he  who  hath  a  scrip  as  he  who 
hath  none,  and  he  who  hath  a  field  as  he  who  hath 
none,  and  he  who  hath  a  kingdom  as  lie  who  hath 
none.  And  it  confirmeth  us  the  more  in  the  sound- 
ness of  the  argument,  that  at  the  great  outpouring 
of  the  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  this  condition 
of  things  w^as  realized  among  the  disciples,  who  had 
all  things  in  common,  and  sold  their  possessions, 
and  poured  out  their  price  at  the  Apostles'  feet.  It 
will  likewise  follow,  tiiat  a  Missionary  in  propotion 
as  he  is  careful  of  those  things,  shows  himself  deli- 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTION.  87 

cient  in  the  supply  of  that  Spirit,  whose  chosen  ves- 
sel he  preferreth  himself  to  be ;  and  that  no  age  of 
the  church  which  setteth  store  by  these  outward 
visible  means  is  greatly  enlightened  of  the  Spirit, 
but  hath  need  to  seek  for  a  more  plentiful  diffusion 
of  his  ghostly  influences.  It  will  follow,  moreover, 
from  this  fruitful  proposition,  that,  though  a  Mis- 
sionary in  the  first  histance  should  go  forth  stocked 
like  a  trader,  fitted  out  like  a  discoverer,  accredit- 
ed like  a  royal  envoy,  and  three  times  armed  with 
prudence  like  a  hostile  spy,  when  he  cometh  into 
close  communication  with  the  Spirit  of  God  and 
the  spirit  of  the  people,  in  order  to  be  the  mediator 
between  these  natural  enemies,  he  will,  if  his  mind 
be  open  to  light,  be  taught  the  utter  helplessness 
of  all  these  helps,  the  utter  uselessness  of  all  these 
useful  things,  to  that  work  in  which  he  hath  embark- 
ed :  that,  though  they  may  commend  him  to  the 
proud  and  worldly  part  of  the  people,  and  gain  for 
him  a  place  in  their  regards  as  a  man  of  some  con- 
sequence and  reputation,  they  are  so  far  from  bring- 
ing him  into  contact  with  their  spiritual  feelings, 
which  alone  he  careth  or  ought  to  care  for,  that 
they  set  him  more  remote  from  thence,  and  induce 
a  mistake  with  respect  to  his  unearthly  purpose, 
which  it  will  require  him  much  time  and  labour  to 
correct.  And  if  he  be  a  true  man,  and  a  man  of 
spiritual  discernment,  I  think  that  a  transmutation 
will  speedily  come  upon  the  outward  estate  of  this 
well-furnished  Missionary.  He  will  by  degrees 
divest  himself  of  all  those  things  which  withdraw 
the  people  from  the  word  of  his  mouth,  or  hinder 
them  from  apprehending  the  simpHcity  and  sinceri- 
ty of  his  spiritual  purpose.  He  will  adopt  their 
dresses,  follow  their  manner  of  life,  eat  with  them 
and  drink  with  them,  and  seek  access  to  them  at 
all  their  unguarded  moments,  that  he  may  be  al- 

15 


38      FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  AI-OStOL.  SCHOOL, 

wajs  at  hand  to  drop  his  words  seasonably  into 
their  ear,  and  manifest  constantly  before  their  eye 
the  influence  of  his  faith  over  all  the  conditions  of 
man,  instead  of  merely  addressing  them  now  and 
then  with  set  speeches  and  abstract  discourses 
against  the  very  time,  form,  and  place  of  which, 
their  minds  arc  already  in  arms.  And  he  will  not 
scruple  to  tal^e  favours  at  their  hand,  if  that  will 
bring  him  into  closer  confidence  of  their  souls, 
Avhich  it  doth  far  more  frequently  than  otherwise  ; 
and  if  not,  he  will  work  to  them  for  his  meat,  teach 
them  the  arts  of  his  country,  do  any  thing  that  may 
bring  him  and  keep  him  in  close  and  frequent  con- 
tact with  their  personal  affections;  and  he  will 
learn  to  be  of  no  country,  that  he  may  remove  po- 
litical hinderances  out  of  the  way,  and  he  will  learn 
to  carry  no  temptations  about  with  him  ;  his  wealth, 
which  maketh  him  to  be  envied,  and  perhaps  en- 
dangereth  his  life,  he  will  cast  into  the  first  brook 
which  he  crosseth,  or  diligently  hide  it  from  the 
people  (but  how  shall  he  hide  it  from  his  own 
heart!);  his  equipage  of  travel  he  will  put  aside; 
and,  like  Bernard  Gilpin,  the  Reformer  of  the  North, 
he  will  give  his  horse  to  the  first  poor  family  Avhich 
hath  need  of  one  to  earn  their  bread;  and,  like 
that  most  noble  of  parish  priests,  however  full- 
handed  the  Missionary  may  set  out  on  his  expedi- 
tion, he  will,  if  his  mind  be  open  to  light,  and  his 
heart  to  love,  return  from  his  excursion,  not  only 
empty  of  all  things,  but  beholden  to  the  worthy  men 
who  had  compassion  upon  him  by  the  way.  So 
that,  according  to  the  argument,  the  spirit  which 
prevaileth  within  the  Missionary's  breast,  will  never 
fail  to  bring  him  into  that  very  condition  of  naked- 
ness and  dependence,  I  should  rather  say.  fulness 
of  faith  and  spiritual  plenty,  which  the  Great  Coun- 
sellor and  Founder  of  the  Missionary  cause,  in  the 


i»ERPE'ri:iTY  OF  Turs  coxsTiTUTiox.  8y 

plenitude  of  his  wisdom,  ordained  as  the  proper 
condition,  not  to  end  with,  but  to  set  out  with,  in 
this  faithful  and  spiritual  adventure. 

It  is  not  that  we  attach  any  importance  to  the 
outward  costume  of  a  missionary,  which  also  mav 
be  assumed.  Under  the  coarse  irock  of  a  friar  lay 
oft  more  pride  and  cunning  than  beneath  a  car- 
dinal's hat;  and  the  triple  crown  hath  not  covered 
more  ambitious  purposes  than  lay  within  the  cowl 
of  the  Jesuit  who  exposed  himseh*  to  every  blast  of 
heaven.  The  pride  of  human  nature  may  make 
noble-minded  men  to  dwell  like  Diogenes,  in  a  tub : 
the  disappointments  of  the  world  may  drive  them 
like  Timon  to  the  woods;  and  racking  remorse 
may  send  them  unprovided  pilgrims  over  untrodden 
jdeserts,  or  attach  them  to  the  coarse  fare  and  bare 
walls  of  a  hermit's  cell;  the  forms  of  poverty  and 
meanness  are  endless,  which  the  spirit  of  man  may 
assume  for  its  own  particular  gratification,  without 
any  regard  to  the  well-being  of  others,  or  the  pro- 
pagation of  the  kingdom  of  Christ;  and  therefore 
no  form  is  to  be  taken  as  a  sure  test  of  the  true 
spirit  of  a  Christian  missionary.  Nevertheless,  as 
hath  been  proved  above,  there  is  a  form  which, 
beyond  others,  is  expressive  of  a  heavenly  mind 
and  a  disinterested  mission,  that  which  Messiah 
chose  for  himself  when  coming  into  the  world,  and 
which  he  laid  upon  all  who  would  travail  with  him 
for  the  redemption  of  the  world.  It  is  not  indispen- 
sable to  the  true  Missionary  spirit,  but  the  true 
Missionary  spirit  doth  love  it,  and  cannot  without 
selt-denial  oe  brought  to  lay  it  aside ;  it  is  not  un- 
equivocal to  those  without,  but  it  is  least  liable  to 
be  misinterpreted  ;  it  is  not  a  capital  crime  against 
the  laws  of  the  spiritual  kingdom  to  lay  it  aside  for 
an  occasion,  as  it  is  not  a  capital  crime  against  our 
naval  laws  for  a  captain  to  lose  his  ship,  but^^s  m 


90      FOR   MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

the  latter  case,  so  in  the  former,  he  ought  to  be  put 
upoM  his  trial,  and  make  appear  before  the  statutes 
of  our  king,  that  it  was  lor  the  best  interests  of  the 
kingdom  that  it  was  set  aside. 

Such    is   the   argument  drawn  from  the 
With  such      necessary  laws  of  spiritual  influence  ;  and 

denuded  men  •'  i  r     \ 

the  work  hath  such  arc  tlic  conscquenccs  oi  the  argu- 
S'onj  tiie  ment :  but  what  saith  the  fact  ?  The  fact 
Lord.  saith  this,  that  by  men,  so  conditioned  as 

these  instructions  set  ibrth,  God  hath  always  wrought 
enlargement  or  salvation  to  his  spiritual  kingdom. 
Joseph.  Joseph,  by  whom  he  saved  the  promised 

seed,  and  got  for  them  the  land  of  Goshen,  was  first 
stripped  of  every  thing,  father  and  mother,  and 
brotherly  love,  made  a  bondsman,  beleaguered  with 
temptation,  falsely  accused  and  imprisoned,  friend- 
less and  helpless  in  the  dungeons  of  a  foreign  land. 
And  when,  the  people  being  lost  to  the  knowledge 
of  God  and  the  nobility  of  their  calling,  the  orphan 
Moses.  shepherd  Moses  was  chosen  for  the  great 

work  of  setting  them  free,  and  receiving  the  law 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Lord,  he  argued  three  times 
liis  unfitness  for  the  w  ork :  first,  from  Pharoah's 
strong  and  high  condition ;  secondly,  from  the  un- 
belief of  the  people ;  and,  lastly,  from  his  own 
meanness  and  want  of  eloquence.  But  the  Lord 
ajave  him  no  appointments  under  heaven  save  his 
Elijah.  shepherd's   rod.     Elijah  who  was  called 

on  at  another  simihir  pass,  when  the  people  had 
•with  one  accord  fallen  away  under  idolatry  and 
tyranny,  had  not  a  house  or  a  morsel  of  meat  or 
a  friend  within  the  bounds  of  Israel  to  give  him 
shelter;  yet  the  Lord  by  his  hand  slew  all  the 
priests  of  Baal,  and  overthrew  their  altars  in  tlie 
Eiisha.  high  places.     And  Elisha,  on  whom  his 

mantle  fell,  and  with  it  his  perilous  work,  that 
same  day  he  received  his  commission  to  go  forth 


PERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTIOX.  01 

to  the  Lord's  work,  sacrificed  his  oxen,  and  made  the 
fire  for  the  sacrifice  out  of  the  wood  of  his  agricul- 
tural implements,    cutting   asunder    all    connexion 
with  the  world,  and  destroying  that  which  won  his 
bread,  devoting  the  instruments  of  his  wealth  in 
thanksgiving  to  the  Lord,  who  had   called  him  to 
the  work  of  a   higher   husbandry.     And        David. 
David,  from  feeding  the  sheep,  by  neither  chariot 
nor  horsemen,  won  favour  in  the  sight  of  Israel,  and 
was  advanced  to  the  throne.     And  Esther,        Esther. 
an  orphan  woman,  saved  the  people  of  the  Lord 
from   utter  ruin.     And   all   the  prophets  The  Prophets. 
were  without  reputation  or  worldly  condition,  other- 
wise they  had  been  unfit  for  their  perilous  work : 
Amos,  from  among  the  herdsmen  of  Tekoah,  Eze- 
kiel,  from  the  captives  by  the  rivers  of  Chebar, 
Daniel  and  the  three  Children  from  menial  offices 
in  the  palace  of  an  Eastern  king.     And  whosoever 
else,  under  the  former  dispensation,  was  separated 
as  a  chosen  vessel  for  containing  the  revelation, 
and  doing  the  work  of  the  Lord,  was  either  ill-con- 
ditioned by  birth,  evil-starred  of  fortune,  or  stripped 
naked  by  the  world,  made  a  Nazarite  of,  separated 
by  the  Lord  unto  himself,  before  he  could  be  en- 
tered to  the  work  of  doing  great  and  lasting  service 
to  the  interests  of  righteousness.      iVnd  The  Baptist. 
John  the  Baptist,  the  forerunner  of  Christ,  Avho  may 
be   reckoned   the   great   type   of   Missionaries,   if 
Christ  be  the  great  type  of  Shepherds  or  Pastors 
(for  the  Missionary  prepareth  the  way  for  the  Pas- 
tor,  as  the  Baptist  did  for  Christ,)  was  made  a 
Nazarite  from  his  mother's  womb ;  that  is,  he  was 
separated  from  strong  drink,  which  representeth  all 
artificial  stimulants  of  the  spirit  and  luxuries  of  the 
body  ;  and  a  razor  was  not  permitted  to  come  upon 
his  head,  which  meaneth  that  he  was  separated 
from  all  outward  show  and   ornament;  and   thus 


il2     FOR  MISSIOXARLES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL, 

being  hindered  from  regarding  his  own  gratification 
and  tlie  world's  eye,  he  was  come  into  a  condition 
lor  receiving  the  inspirations  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
which  cannot  enter  into  communion  witli  sense  aiid 
seliishness,  those  two  great  idols  of  men.  And 
The  Lord  Christ  himself,  though  he  was  in  the  form 
iiimseii.  of  God,  and  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be 
equal  with  God,  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and 
took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made 
in  the  likeness  of  man  ;  and  being  tbund  in  fashion 
as  a  man,  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  Where- 
fore God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given 
him  a  name  above  every  name,  that  at  tlie  name  of 
Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven 
and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the  earth,  and 
that  every  tongue  should  conless  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father.  Thus 
making  himself  both  a  model  and  a  history  of  every 
one  wlio  is  to  extend  that  kingdom  which  he  found- 
ed, and  labour  in  the  salvation  which  he  purcliased. 
The  lueive  And,  finally,  what  the  twelve  and  seventy 
and  Seventy,  ^v  crc,  and  liow  they  were  fitted  out  for 
their  Mork,  we  have  spent  the  former  head  of  this 
discourse  in  explaining.  And  what  the  people 
were  who  first  received  their  message,  and  in  their 
several  neighbouriioods  propagated  the  kingdom, 
The  first  Paul  hath  told  in  the  Corinthians,  "  iJreth- 
converts.  p^jj^  y^.  ggg  your  Calling,  how  that  not 
many  wise  men  after  the  fiesh,  not  many  mighty, 
not  many  noble,  are  called.  But  God  hath  chosen 
the  foolish  tilings  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise, 
and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world 
to  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty,  and  base 
things  of  the  world,  and  things  wiiich  are  despised, 
hath  God  chosen,  yea.  and  things  which  are  not.  to 
brinu"  to  noujjht  things  that  are." 


PfcRPETUITY  OP  THIS  CONSTITUTIOJT.  93 

What  more,  then,  is  required  to  show  And  thercfoie 
that  there  ever  must  be,  and  ever  hath  manhood"' 
been,  a  necessity  for  disjunction  from  the  '1^33  at  no 

'         p,  11-1  11         ''^'^  ^^  ahcvcd 

works  01  the  world   m  order  to  work  the  or  abridged 
works  of  God,  that  the  great  heralds  of  tothecmarh, 
heaven  must  take  a  stand  above  the  earth,  ^".dproioyd 

,  ,  ,         mj.  cry  to  the 

HI  order  to  raise  men  above  the  earth ;  world. 
that  they  must  undervalue  those  tilings  which  they 
teach  men  to  undervalue?  What  are  Missionaries 
but  the  prophet's  order  enlarged  from  the  confines 
of  the  land  of  Israel,  to  roam  at  large  over  the 
world  ?  God's  messengers  to  the  nations,  telling 
them  their  several  burdens  if  they  repent  not,  and 
showing  them  salvation  if  they  repent.  Each  a 
Jonah  to  the  several  quarters  of  the  heathen  world  : 
not  servants  of  this  or  that  association  of  men;  but 
heralds  of  heaven,  who  dare  not  be  under  other 
orders  than  the  orders  of  Christ.  It  is  a  presump- 
tion hardly  short  of  Papal,  to  command  them.  They 
are  not  Missionaries  when  they  are  commanded. 
They  are  creatures  of  the  power  that  commandeth 
them.  Up,  up,  with  the  stature  of  this  character: 
it  is  high  as  heaven :  its  head  is  above  the  clouds 
which  hide  the  face  of  heaven  from  earth-born  men  : 
its  ear  heareth  the  word  of  God  conthiually,  and 
continually  re-echoeth  what  it  heareth  to  the  na- 
tions. The  Missionary  is  the  hollow  of  that  trump 
which  resoundeth  the  voice  of  God.  Let  us  reve- 
rence him,  he  is  above  us  all,  he  is  above  the  world, 
he  is  an  ethereal  Being,  and  careth  not  for  the  con- 
cerns of  time.  I  wonder  how  any  one  can  be  so 
impious  towards  God,  so  cruel  towards  men,  as  to 
wish  to  obliterate  one  feature  of  his  Celestial  Cha- 
racter. Though  none  of  those  who  at  present  re- 
spectably bear  the  honours  of  the  name  come  near 
to  it,  still  let  it  stand,  that,  being  ever  in  their  eye, 
they  may  approach  it  more  and  more  near.    Though 


94     FOR    MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

none  of  this  generation  can  bear  the  palm  of  it 
away,  some  of  our  children  may.  And  though  none 
of  our  children  should  reach  it  nearer  than  their 
fathers,  some  of  our  children's  children  may.  Some 
favoured  one  may  be  raised  up  of  God,  who,  like 
another  Paul,  may  give  it  full  and  complete  vitality. 
And  when  he  shall  arrive,  rest  assured  that,  like 
another  Paul,  he  will  convert  half  the  nations.  For 
well  am  I  convinced  that  the  Gospel  waiteth  only 
for  such  spiritual  men,  in  order  to  burst  its  present 
narrow  bounds,  and  the  Spirit  waiteth  only  for 
these  necessary  conditions  to  fill  the  inward  soul  of 
any  man,  and  make  him  a  chosen  vessel,  a  royal 
stately  ship  to  sail  in  all  seas,  and  bear  the  treasure 
unto  all  lands.  I  feel,  that  in  pleading  for  the  per- 
petuity of  the  Missionary  form  of  manhood,  1  am 
pleading  the  cause,  not  only  of  the  unconverted 
nations,  but  the  cause  of  divine  power  and  truth, 
which  is  hindered  from  descending  to  tabernacle 
with  mortals  only  by  our  low-thoughted  cares  and 
worldly  occupations.  Martha,  who  was  burdened 
w^ith  many  things,  is  the  genius  of  the  human  race ; 
Mary,  who  had  chosen  the  one  thing  needful,  is  the 
genius  of  the  Missionary  band,  who,  not  out  of  the 
greatness  of  their  grief,  but  the  greatness  of  their 
love,  have  become  careless  of  all  those  things,  save 
that  good  part  which  shall  not  be  taken  from  them. 
Who  is  he  that  talks  of  change  ?  The 
And  it  can-  Missioiiary  ordinance  can  never  change, 
Sa'^useMre  ^^^  the  Missionary  work  dothneverchange. 
work  to  he  piis  work  is  still  to  overthrow  the  prince 
evermo^re'  '^  of  this  world,  scatcd  upou  thc  bcauty  and 
the  same.  pleasantucss,  upon  the  magnificence  and 
glory  of  the  visible  creation,  and  to  deliver  the 
souls  of  men  into  the  worship  of  the  invisible  God. 
Kingdoms  may  undergo  every  vicissitude,  and  be 
found  under  every  form  of  civil  polity  ;  nations  may 


PERPETUITl    OF  THIS  COi\fc.TMUTlOi\.  ^:j 

exist  in  every  degree  of  culture  or  barbarism ;  Ihev 
may  be  noble,  high  minded  and  proud ;  sordid,  and 
base,  and  given  over  to  gain  and   sensual   indul- 
gence;  vain-glorious,  pompous,  and  fond  of  a  thou- 
sand  spectacles ;  they  may  be  grovelling  in  super- 
stition, sunk  in  ignorance,  abandoned  to  sloth  and 
effeminacy,  or  fierce,  fiery  and  uncontrollable ;  but 
never  will  a  kingdom  or  nation  be  found  possessed 
of  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  devoted  to  the 
laith  and  pursuit  of  spiritual  objects,  or  living  in 
the  practice  of  Christian  precepts.     The  maxims, 
the  spirit  of  the  laws  and  policy,  the  motives  and 
principles  of  private  conduct,  the  whole  tenor  of 
their  society,  and  influence  of  their  rehgion,  have 
to  be  counteracted  and  overthrown  in  these  times, 
as  entirely  as  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles.     There 
is  no  relaxation  of  the  oppositions,  there  is  no  miti- 
gation of  the  difficulties  of  the  work,  which  never 
changeth.     And  the  Gospel  which  the  Missionary 
hath  to  preach,  the  kingdom  which  he  hath  to  pro- 
pagate, is  still  the  same  spiritual  kingdom  which 
flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit,  whose  King  hath  no 
communion  with  Belial  nor  with  Mammon,  in  whose 
sight  iniquity  cannot  stand,  and  to  whom  the  proud 
heart  and  the  high  look  are  an  abomination.     This 
Gospel,  which  hath  toleration  for  no  natural  form  of 
humanity  however  excellent,  and  condemneth  every 
living  man,  which  beginneth  in  sorrow  and  repen- 
tance tor  the  past,  proceedeth  by   the  faith  and 
preference  of  things  unseen,  and  is  perfected  in  a 
thousand  acts  of  self-denial  and  self-discipline,  is 
not  now  more  agreeable  to  the  nations  than  it  was 
when  first  revealed  by  our  Lord  and  Saviour.     And 
if  the  Gospel,  after  two  thousand  years,  is  still  as 
unaccommodating  to  the  world,  and  the  world  is 
still  by  nature  as  averse  from  its  faith  and  disci- 
pline, how  should  the  manner  of  its  propagation  be 

16 


96    FOR  IvnSSIONARlES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  S'CHGOL, 

altered  in  any  respect  from  what  was  laid  down 
and  followed  at  the  first  ?  If  the  first  Missionaries 
were  made  spiritual  personages,  in  order  to  exhibit 
practically  to  the  people  that  preference  and  all- 
sufficiency  of  spiritual  things  which  they  preached ; 
if  they  were  men  of  faith  alone,  in  order  to  exhibit 
that  principle  which  they  sought  to  magnify  over 
sight  and  sense,  why  should  they  not  be  so  likewise 
in  these  times,  in  which  the  heathen  are  still  as  de- 
voted to  things  seen  and  temporal,  as  they  were  in 
tlie  days  of  Paul  ?  Even  supposing  the  present  Mis- 
sionaries had  more  divinity  of  nature  than  the  Apos- 
tles, and  that  they  could  possess  purse,  scrip,  and 
all  other  accommodations  without  being  thereby 
unspiritualized,  how  shall  they  hinder  the  evil  in- 
terpretation of  the  heathens,  who  see  them  hired, 
paid,  accommodated,  befriended,  and  in  all  outward 
things  better  conditioned  than  themselves  ?  They 
speak  to  us  of  faith,  let  them  show  us  their  own.  They 
speak  to  us  of  the  providence  of  God,  but  they  ven- 
tured not  hither  without  every  security.  They  tell 
us  of  Christ's  disinterestedness  to  us,  but  what  les- 
sons give  they  us  of  the  same  ?  And  so  forth  through 
every  particular  of  their  condition,  by  which  Christ 
intended  that  they  should  evidence  the  doctrine 
which  they  taught.  I  cannot  understand,  therefore, 
in  any  way,  how  the  condition  of  the  Missionary 
work  should  be  changed,  when  the  work  itself  re- 
maineth  the  same ;  or  how  the  instruction  which 
Christ  gave  for  the  propagation  of  his  kingdom 
should  now  be  null  and  void,  when  it  is  the  same 
kingdom  that  is  to  be  propagated,  and  the  difficul- 
ties and  impediments  are  still  the  same,  over  the 
head  of  which  its  propagation  is  to  be  effected. 

I  admire  the  steadiness  with  which  the 
ithatha^i/s  spiritual  people  of  this  day  have  stood 
<li>nnum,^d  Q^^  against  the  ignorant  clamour,  that  the 


fEHPETUlTY  OF  THIS  CjONSTITUTIOA-.  97 

heathen  must  be  civihzed  before  they  can 
be  christianized  ;  I  admire,  also,  the  faith  li.e  mII"'^' 
which  they  have  shown  in  the  power  of  rSwuf 
God,  to  save  men  by  the  preaching  of  the  '^""J  its  head 
word,   without   any   help   of  the  arts    of  mour^n'he 
government,  or  of  civil  life ;  and  the  sim-   ^'""^ 
plicity  with  which  they  devote  themselves  to  the 
circulation  of  the  scriptures,  and  the  sending  out 
of  Teachers  and  Preachers ;  and  they  are  never 
enough  to  be  commended  for  standing  aloof  from 
the   employment  of  force,   and   power,   and   civil 
policy ;  in  all  these  respects,  fulfilling  the  maxim  of 
Christ,  «ray  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world:"  But 
there  are  a  kw  things  which  still  savour  of  the 
spirit  of  the  world,  and  which  must  be  put  away 
by  the  diligent  perusal  and  faithful  execution  of 
this  the  Missionary  charter ;  which,  instead  of  argu- 
ing against  or  pulling  down,  they  should  regard  as 
the  everlasting  conditions  of  the  Missionary  work, 
within  which  men  have  only  to  come  in  order  to  be 
ready  for  the  high  office,  and  ripe  for  scattering 
the  everlasting  seed  amongst  the  nations.     There 
hath  been  much  searching  of  the  scriptures  for  a 
platform  of  church-government,  and  every  passage 
which  can  be  forced  into  that  application,  has  been 
strained  to  the  utmost,  in  order  that  a  jus  divinum 
might  be  made  out  for  episcopacy,  presbytery,  and 
independency  in  their  turns.     Sure  I  am  that  none, 
nor  all  of  these  put  together,  can  make  out  such  a 
divine  right  as  the  Missionary  work  hath  in  these 
instructions  of  our  Lord ;  and  had  there  been  hu- 
man  interests   concerned  in   the  establishment  of 
it,  as  human  interests  there  are  none,  unspiritual 
men  would  long  ere  this  have  used  it  for  securing 
them ;  but  being  the  death  of  secularity,  the  essence 
of  spiritual-mindedness,   and   the   quintessence   of 
self-denial,  I  perceive  that  it  hath  every  thing  to 


i^tt      FOR  MISSlONARlElS  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

contend  with,  scoflfs,  ridicule  and  worldly  wisdom, 
and  cannot  be  generally  acceptable  in  times  when 
the  secular  and  the  spiritual  have  become  strange- 
ly intermingled,  and  maxims  current  on  the  Ex- 
change, have  become  current  in  holy  places,  when 
the  offices  of  the  church  have  come  to  be  valued 
by  their  emoluments,  and  for  their  emoluments 
sought  out,  and  as  an  emolument  discoursed  of 
amongst  the  people.  It  is  not  now  the  time  to  dis- 
course of  the  pastoral  office  (I  shall  hereafter,)  but 
it  were  easy  to  show  from  the  epistles  of  the  Great 
Shepherd  to  the  angels  of  the  seven  churches  of 
Asia,  that  it  is  an  office  in  its  spirit,  consenting  with 
that  view  of  the  Missionary  office  which  we  labour 
to  establish,  and  widely  dissenting  from  those  views 
ofit  which  are  now  current  amongst  both  priests 
and  people.  But  while  those  erroneous  views  pre- 
vail of  the  pastoral  office,  which  is  under  our  eye 
at  home,  and  from  which  we  derive  our  notion  of 
the  Missionary,  it  will  be  in  vain  to  think  that  the 
latter  notion  can  be  a  correct  one.  Therefore,  it 
is  the  more  necessary,  among  the  many  sources  of 
error  to  which  we  are  exposed  in  making  up  our 
idea  of  the  Missionary,  to  adhere  to  the  divine  plat- 
form contained  in  these  verses,  and  be  governed 
by  the  jus  divmum,  the  divine  authority  of  that  un- 
repealed constitution. 

Therefore  I  say,  let  this  type  of  the 
But  if  h  be  Missionary  stand,  that  he  is  a  man  with- 
adopted  by  qui  a  pursc,  without  a  scrip,  without  a 
tiieMis-^*^^  change  of  raiment,  without  a  staff,  with- 
sland'a^o'n-  ^^^  ^^^®  ^^^^  ^^  making  friends,  or  keep- 
descripi.yet    ing  fricuds,  without  the  hope  or  desire  of 

ihe  highest  ^  .  ^ 

form  of  '  worldly  good,  without  the  apprehension 
'oanhood.  of  worldly  loss,  without  the  care  of  life, 
without  the  fear  of  death ;  of  no  rank,  of  no  coun- 
try, of  no  condition ;  a  man  of  one  thought,  the  Gof:- 


l^ERPETUITY  OF  THIS  CONSTITUTIO.N.  9V» 

pel  of  Christ;  a  man  of  one  purpose,  the  Glory  of 
God ;  a  fool,  and  content  to  be  reckoned  a  fool, 
for  Christ;  a  madman,  and  content  to  be  reckoned 
a  madman,  for  Christ.  Let  him  be  enthusiast,  fana- 
tic, babbler,  or  any  other  outlandish  non-descript 
the  world  may  choose  to  denominate  him.  But 
still  let  him  be  a  non-descript,  a  man  that  cannot 
be  classed  under  any  of  their  catagories,  or  defined 
by  any  of  their  convenient  and  conventional  names. 
When  they  can  call  him  pensioner,  trader,  house- 
holder, citizen  ;  man  of  substance,  man  of  the 
world,  man  of  science,  man  of  learning,  or  even  man 
of  common  sense,  it  is  all  over  with  his  Missionary 
character.  He  may  innocently  have  some  of  these 
forms  of  character,  some  of  them  he  cannot  inno- 
cently have ;  but  they  will  be  far  subordinate,  deep 
in  the  shade,  covered  and  extinguished  to  the 
world's  incurious  gaze,  by  the  strange,  incoherent 
and  unaccountable  character  to  which  he  surren- 
dereth  himself  mainly.  The  world  knoweth  the 
Missionary  not,  because  it  knew  Messiah  not.  The 
nature  of  his  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God ;  he  is 
not  a  man,  but  the  spirit  of  a  man ;  he  is  a  spirit 
that  hath  divested  itself  of  all  earthiness,  save  the 
continent  body,  which  it  keepeth  down  and  useth 
as  its  tabernacle,  and  its  vehicle,  and  its  mechani- 
cal tool  for  speech  and  for  action. 


The  standard  is  a  high  one,  and  suiteth  i,isi„K 
not  an  easy  and  prudential  age,  and  we  'ng  with  the 
that   are   bred   in   peaceful   places,  may  oichxSliL"[" 


stumble  at  it,  and  some  of  our  self-sufii-  '''sc'piiiie; 
cient  spirits  may  scoff  at  it.  But  our  fathers  held 
it  in  reputation  when  they  suffered  the  loss  of  all 
things,  and  counted  them  but  as  dung,  that  they 
might  win  Christ;  and  the  Missionaries  who  came 
to  our  fathers,  were  accustomed  to  it.  And  what  is 
a  Missionary  who  shrinketh  at  it }  Can  he  stand 


100    FOR  AllbblORARIES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

the  stake  or  the  cross,  who  cannot  bear  hunger, 
thirst,  and  nakedness  ?  Was  any  man  a  mart}  r  who 
could  not  be  a  hungered  for  Christ?  What  are 
purse,  staff,  scrip,  raiment  and  friendship,  but  the 
help  and  sustenance  of  hfe,  taking  their  value  from 
the  love  we  have  of  life  ?  And  if  we  are  prepared 
to  scuttle  the  ship,  are  we  not  prepared  to  sink  the 
timbers,  and  cordage,  and  tackle  of  the  ship  ?  This 
unearthly  dimension  of  the  Missionary  character  is 
in  such  keeping  with  the  rest  of  the  Christian  dis- 
pensation, as  to  commend  itself  to  our  mind  on  that 
very  account.  Had  it  not  been  perfect  in  this  its 
beau-ideal,  had  it  not  been  accommodated  to  pru- 
dence and  practice,  a  plausible,  reasonable,  fair- 
looking  speculation  like  that  which  it  seems  hasting 
to  become,  I  for  one  would  have  said.  This  is  not 
like  a  character  of  Christ's  delineation;  it  wanteth 
the  touch  of  the  divine  hand ;  it  hath  not  the  super- 
natural air.  It  is  of  the  earth,  earthly :  it  is  not  of 
the  heavens,  heavenly :  it  is  born  of  flesh,  it  con- 
sorteth  with  Mammon  and  hath  fellowship  with 
Belial.  I  doubt  whether  it  be  an  original  or  not ; 
for  here,  in  Christ's  style,  is  a  description  of  faith 
as  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for ;  and  here  is  a 
cloud  of  witnesses,  who  by  faith  substantiated  in- 
visible things;  and  here  is  a  description  of  the 
Christian  life,  as  a  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight ; 
and  here  is  a  description  of  charity  so  perfect  as  to 
make  the  holiest  man  abhor  himself;  and  here  is  a 
law  which  condemneth  the  justest  men;  and  here 
is  a  rule  of  chastity,  and  a  rule  for  behaving  to 
enemies,  and  a  rule  lor  alms-giving,  and  a  thousand 
other  schemes  and  rules  of  Christ ;  not  one  of 
which  is  calculated  in  accommodation  to  man's 
imperfections,  but  in  accommodation  to  God's  per- 
fections ;  not  in  measure  with  man's  weakness,  but 
in  measure  with    the  Spirit's  power;  not   for  the 


perpe'tuity  op  this  constitution.  101 

strength  of  fallen  nature,  but  for  the  sufficiency  of 
the  grace  of  God.  And  shall  the  individual  traits 
of  the  Christian  character  be  superhuman,  and  the 
whole  Christian  not  be  superhuman ;  shall  the 
Christian  be  superhuman,  and  the  Missionary  not 
be  three  times  superhuman  ? 

Stumble,   therefore,   who   pleaseth,    at  and.onaii 
the   severity  of  these  institutions  of  the  !:''^'V^„k 

TV/i*      •  T      1  •        1  m  counts,  to  De 

Missionary ;  1  glory  in  them.  Tame  them  "pteid. 
down  who  pleaseth;  I,  while  I  live,  will  uphold 
their  sublimity.  Temporise  with  them  who  please, 
they  do  it  at  their  proper  risk.  Let  it  be  mine  to 
love  and  reverence  my  Saviour's  words.  Nay, 
moreover,  let  them  who  please  cool  down  the  tem- 
per of  the  Missionary,  and  lower  the  mark  of  his 
high  calling ;  be  it  mine  to  rouse  his  spirit,  and  if 
duty  hindered  not,  to  rouse  my  own  spirit  to  the 
height  of  the  undertaking.  When  the  Missionaries, 
the  forlorn  hope  of  our  warfare,  issue  from  the  gate 
of  our  camp,  let  us  cheer  them  with  songs  of  an- 
cient chivalry,  with  examples  of  ancient  victory; 
let  the  daughter  of  Zion  brace  the  heart  of  her 
warlike  sons,  with  her  heaven-derived  minstrelsy ; 
that  they  may  go  forth  in  the  spirit  of  the  mighty 
men  of  old,  and  scale  the  steep  which  frowneth 
upon  flesh  and  blood,  and  plant  the  good  standard 
of  the  faith  upon  the  loftiest  battlement  of  the  ene- 
my's strongest  hold, — which  strong  and  lofty  though 
it  be,  is  not  more  strong  than  the  strength  of  our 
God,  nor  more  lofty  than  the  flights  of  our  faith ; — 
which  strong  and  lofty  though  it  be,  is  permitted 
thus  high  to  rise  and  thus  sternly  to  frown,  only 
that  it  may  prove  the  good  temper  of  the  warrior's 
soul,  and  prove  before  the  high  witnesses  of  the 
contest,  how  humanity  in  the  weakest  of  Christ's 
servants,  is  stronger  than  death  and  the  grave,  than 
earth  and  hell,  and  can  triumph  over  them,  and 


]02  POK  Missionaries  after  the  apostol.  bCHooL. 

lead  them  captives,  as  did  the  great  founder  and 
everlasting  captain  of  the  Missionary  work.    There- 
fore, I  say,  let  the  lineament  of  perfection  stand 
flaming  forth,  because  it  is  the  failing  of  human 
nature  to  rest  satisfied  with  its  attainments,  and  to 
come  to  a  stand  in  its  progress,  through  the  might 
and  multitude  of  surrounding  objects.     Unto  feeble 
and  faithless  man,  there  needeth  always  a  voice 
like  that  which  was  given  unto  Moses  when  the 
people  pressed  between  the  angry  sword  of  Pharoah, 
and  the  raging  sea  stood  still  in  sore  dismay : — 
"  Speak  unto  the  children   of  Israel  that  they  go 
forward."     And  of  all  men,  the  Missionary  needeth 
this   voice   the   most,   because   his   course   is   the 
roughest,  and  his  enemies  the  most  inveterate.     As 
the  Baptist  came  in  the  desert,  so  he  cometh  in  the 
moral  wilderness  and  spiritual  desert  of  human  life; 
and  though  he  be  nothing   but  a  voice,  he  crieth 
out,  "  Prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  his  paths 
straight,  let  every  valley  be  filled,  and  every  moun- 
tain  and  hill   be   brought  low,  let  the  crooked  be 
made    straight,   and   the    rough    places   be    made 
smooth."      Such  a  one   shall  have  in  his  teeth  a 
phalanx  of  opposition,  and  he  hath  need  of  a  heart 
like  a  lion's  heart,  and   of  a  wing  like  an  eagle's 
wing,  and  there  must  be  upon  his  banner,  Forward, 
Forward :  and  that  he  may  never  faint  or  fail,  his 
banner  should  be  this  divine  portrait  of  a  perfect 
Missionary,  this  safe-conduct  and  assurance  of  ulti- 
mate success,  to  flame  over  the  darkness  of  his  path, 
like  the  pillar  of  fire  which  directed  Israel  in  the 
watches  of  the  night. 


The  docliiue 


CUJNCLLiSlOiN— 

From  the  Missionary  Doctrine. 

While  I  contend  with  all  my  miffht  that 
the  portraiture  of  the  Missionary  given  bj  stated  above, 
Messiah,    with    his    instructions    for    the  '^'"^"  ^  ' 
perilous  voyage,  should  not   be  hid  from  the  sight 
and  study  of  the  Church,  but  live  in  its  few  grand 
and   simple   lineaments,  untouched  by  any  mortal 
hand,   and   unsoftened   by  the  compromising  taste 
of  any   age ;  and   that  every  one  who  looks  to  this, 
the  highest  preferment  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
should  be  qualified  according  to  the  Testament  of 
our  King,  over  which  Testament  the  Church  is  the 
guardian  to  execute  it  faithfully,  not  to  enlarge  or 
abridge  it  in  one  jot  or  tittle  :  I  am  far  from  intend- 
ing,  as   the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter,  that  no 
one  shall  make  trial  and  experiment  of  this  service 
until  he  feel  the  image  of  Messiah  perfected  in  his 
soul,  or  that  God   will   withhold  his  hlessing  from 
the  rude  beginnings  and  mistrustful  settings-out,  of 
this  high  and  holy  calling.     As  God  doth  not  to  dis- 
know,  and  my  conscience  beareth  me  wit-  awakfn  men 
ness,  it  is  not  to   discourage  or  repel  any  to  the  work, 
spirit  which  feels  stirred  to  attempt  the  undertaking, 
but  to  encourage  and  attract  all  Christian  spirits  by 
its  ethereal  excellence  and  transcendent  glory,  that 
I  would  preserve  the  standard  perfection  of  this 
character  unreduced    and  unveiled    before    every 
eye.     And  if  any  one  think    that   by  the  opposite 
course  of  reducing  its  lofty  dimensions,  or  veiling 
its  heavenly  purity,  he  will  recommend  this  or  any 
other  part  ot"  the  Christian  system  to  the  Avorld.  he 


104    FOR  IVlISblONARlJiS  At"4  EK  TRL  Al'OSTOL.  SCHOOL. 

doth  err,  nothing  knowing  the  end  of  Christianity, 
by  the  state.  OF  thc  natuTC  ot  the  world.  By  doing  so. 
i.ientofthr  {jf.  shall  hut  placx'  the  world  on  good  terms 
with  itself,  and  mislead  still  further  its  false 
estimation  of  its  own  wretched  conditions,  while  he 
prostitutes  the  great  boon  of  Heaven,  which  was 
given  not  to  please  the  deluded  world,  hut  to  redeem 
it  out  of  its  present  self-satisfaction  and  self-com- 
placency. The  Avorld  is  to  be  undeceived  with 
respect  to  all  its  ideas  of  greatness  and  goodness, 
its  heroism  to  be  despoiled,  its  virtues  put  to  shame, 
its  boast  and  glory  mocked,  by  the  new  school  of 
character  and  action,  which  the  Gospel  introduceth, 
in  order  to  cast  all  its  conditions  into  the  shade, 
and  force  them  to  confess  that  they  are  nothing. 
The  divine  stature  and  heavenly  majesty,  the  un- 
stained purity  and  tender  mercy,  and  the  self-di- 
vested, self-devoted  disinterestedness  of  the  7ie)v 
man,  created  in  the  image  of  God,  are  intended  to 
silence  the  empty  boastfulness  of  the  o/d  man,  to 
call  forth  spiritual  faculties  iiom  their  hiding  places 
of  ease  and  selfishness,  and  to  offer  a  w  isdom  and 
righteousness,  an  honour  and  glory  of  another  kind 
than  that  whereoi  nature  is  aml)itious,  and  where- 
withal she  is  content.  It  is  not  by  indulging  nature, 
therefore,  in  her  false  judgments  and  depraved 
tastes,  but  by  rebuking  her,  by  exhibiting  ideas  and 
forms  of  higher  things,  that  slie  is  to  be  led  onward 
to  perfection.  Her  own  sell-love  will  draw  the 
standard  down,  without  any  help  on  your  part,  and 
in  spite  of  all  your  endeavours  the  other  w  ay.  Your 
office,  therefore,  is  to  propound  to  her  no  second 
edition  of  the  tilings  revealed  from  heaven  for  her 
regeneration,  but  the  very  things,  if  you  would 
humble  her,  beat  her  out  of  her  proud  refuges, 
prostrate  her  in  sorrow  and  repentance,  and  bring 
iier  to  be  ai»  <'arn<\^(  suitor  f(»i-  fh(>  suOiciont  arace  and 


C0.\CLUSlON,  FROM  THK  MISSIONARY   DOCTRINE..        105 

perfect  strength  of  God.     And  he  who  shrinks  from 
the  perusal  of  these  new  forms  of  character,  be- 
cause they  are  too  high  for  him,  and  cannot  be  en- 
tered into  at  one  attempt,  and  would  therefore  have 
them  lowered,  doth  err  no  loss,  than  he  doth,  who, 
to  serve   his  error,  would  bring  them  down   to  his 
low  desire  or  faithless  timidity.     For  it  is  to  which  this, 
wholly  to  mis-state  the  nature  of  this  holy  oL'S- 
operation,  to  imagine  that  it  is  finished  at  '''^Pl°l^' 
one  fiat  as  creation  was  at  first,  and  that  soniofman; 
the  child  of  God  starteth  at  once   into  being  and 
perfect  manhood.     We  grow  in  grace  as   we   grow 
in  nature,  from  the  new  birth,  through  the  helpless- 
ness of  babes,  the  weakness  of  childhood,  the  in- 
stability of  youth,  to  the  maturity  of  perfect  men  in 
Christ.      And  it  is  by  exercise  we  grow,  for  the 
grace  of  God  is  a  vital  principle  which  begetteth 
life  and  action.     By  this  new  life  and  action  of  the 
soul's  faculties,  we  do  both  discern  the  presence  of 
that  grace  ^vhich  we  have   received,  and  our  need 
of  more,  which  we   receive  in  due  time  after  we 
have  proved  ourselves  faithful  over  the  few  things 
already  committed  to  our  trust.     And  so  we  go  on 
from  grace  to  grace,  and  from  strength  to  strength, 
by  diligently  occupying  that  which  we  have,  and 
fulfilling  those  duties  which  are  meet  to  our  pre- 
sent infirmity.     Therefore,  the  perfections  not  at  one 
of  holiness  presented   in   Scripture,  and  ^!^li^^l^^l. 
the  sublimities  of  character  exemplified  g'ession, 
by  Christ,  ought  to  be  constantly  kept  full  in  our 
view,  that  we  may  know  what  the  Lord  our  God 
requireth  of  us,  and  how  far  we  come  short  of  his 
glory ;  whence  are  fed  the  fountains  of  our  peni- 
tence and  humility,  at  which  prayer  refresheth  her 
too  feeble  voice,  and  the  Lord  hearing  her  refresh- 
ed voice,  suppheth  all  our  wants  in  due  season,  out 
of  his  inexhaustible  fulness.     And  thus,  as  in  a  rir- 


IDG    FOR    IVllSblONARIE&   AFTER  TUF-   APOS'l  OL.   sCHOUj  . 

cle,  from  the  idea  of  perfection,  to  the  conscious- 
ness of  weakness,  and  from  the  consciousness 
of  weakness,  to  the  increase  of  strength,  and 
from  the  increase  of  strength,  to  the  increase  of 
performance,  and  Irom  the  increase  of  periormance,\ 
to  the  idea  of  still  higher  perfection,  we  approach; 
more  and  more  near  to  that  purity  of  holiness  and 
sublimity  of  character,  without  the  knowledge  and 
perusal  of  which  we  should  not  have  known  our 
deficiency,  and  not  knowing  our  deficiency,  not 
have  besought  for  higher  aid,  and  not  beseeching 
the  aid  of  Heaven,  should  not  have  received  the 
grace  which  is  sufficient  for  us,  and  the  strength 
which  is  periected  in  weakness. 

If  such  be  the  progression  of  the  Chris- 
jf  there  be  ^^^^  graccs,  it  is  most  manifest  that  who- 
any  thing       socvcr  Can  rccovcr  a  true  Christian  idea 

more  sublime     r  i  •  i  i  i 

and  ethereal  trom  the  Corrupting  hand  and  compro- 
gVe'irabove,  misiug  Spirit  of  his  age,  and  give  it  to  the 
it  should  be  ^vorld  in  its  original  form  and  beauty, 
with  thank-  dotli  scrvc  the  best  interests  ol  his  age. 
fjiness;  though  hc  may  somewhat  trouble  its  pre- 
sent self-sufficiency.  For  though  he  do  rebuke  the 
imperfect  measures  with  which  the  over-easy  times 
are  satisfied,  and  turn  against  himself  the  zeal  which 
he  disturbeth  in  its  well-meant  but  ill-inlormed 
courses,  he  doth  open  to  all  candid  and  truth-lov- 
ing spirits  a  higher  region,  to  which  they  may  cast 
their  longings,  and  tor  the  occupation  of  which  they 
njiay  weary  Heaven  with  their  humble  prayers. 
And  if  any  one,  in  the  couch  of  his  contentment, 
should  feel  himself  rebuked  of  listless  sell-satisfied 
ease,  he  ought,  while  he  plucketh  up  his  pilgrim's 
staff,  and  manlully  addresseth  himself  to  another 
stage  of  his  progress,  give  thanks  unto  God,  who 
sent  a  messenger  to  rouse  his  spirit  alresh,  and 
show  him  the  way  to  new  enjoyments  arul  new  en- 
iertainments  of  his  spiritual  litip. 


<  O.NCLLSlOxN,  FROM  THE  MISSIONARY  DOCTRINE.        107 

If,  therefore,  in  the  idea  of  the  Mis-  not  taken  as 
sionary,  which  we  have  sketched  in  the  ^"  oflence, 
first  of  these  Orations,  and  which  in  the  two  latter 
we  have  sought  to  fix  and  make  lasting  by  many 
fiery  ordeals,  there  be  any  thing  more  enlarged  and 
elevated  than  that  which  at  present  prevaileth  in 
the  Church;  the  use  to  which  it  should  be  put, 
after  it  hath  been  first  tried  by  non-conforming 
truth,  is  to  rouse  the  spirit  of  Missionaries  to  still 
higher  aims,  to  whet  the  present  zeal  of  the  Church 
to  a  still  finer  edge,  and  to  set  on  fire  whatever  is 
noble,  and  generous,  and  devoted  in  the  breasts  of 
godly  men.  It  were  totally  to  misuse  the  truth, 
and  to  misunderstand  the  whole  economy  of  grace, 
tor  any  one  to  take  offence  at  the  height  and  purity 
of  the  character  delineated  above,  or  to  withdraw 
his  shoulder  from  the  Missionary  work,  because 
the  work  turneth  out  to  be  a  more  stiff-necked  work 
than  he  had  at  first  conceived.  For,  as  it  is  the 
perfect  purity  of  the  law  which  slays  our  self-suffi- 
ciency, arouseth  our  dormancy,  and,  like  a  good 
schoolmaster,  forceth  our  childish  reluctancy  to 
betake  itself  to  Christ  for  help  ;  so  is  it  the  noble- 
ness of  the  Missionary  character,  its  independence 
of  all  natural  means,  and  indifference  to  all  human 
patronage,  its  carelessness  of  all  earthly  rewards, 
and  contempt  of  the  arithmetic  ol  visible  and  tem- 
poral things,  which  ibrce  the  man  who  would  es- 
say it,  to  pass  out  of  those  resources  human  nature 
fostereth  within  herself^  and  have  his  refuge  and 
dependence  upon  the  Spirit  of  God,  for  sustenance, 
for  patronage,  for  reward,  and  lor  a  rule  of  pro- 
cedure. And  after  all  he  can  do  in  this  kind,  it  will 
still  be  the  complaint  of  every  good  and  faithful 
Missionary,  that  he  hath  not  been  able  to  eradicate 
self-confidence,  that  root  of  bitterness  which  poi- 
sons spiritual  heajth,  and  brings  on  a  prostration  of 


lOii       FOR  MIsblU.NAKLLb   At^l'KK  THE  AFOSTOL.  bCHOuJ.. 

spiritual  strenijth.  So  that  those  deprivations  oi" 
Christ,  are  hut  iiicurnhrances  kindly  removed, 
weights  cast  away,  and  besetting  sins  (sins  that 
beset  every  man)  warned  away  from  the  Missionary, 
in  consideration  oi  the  arduous  race  which  he  hath 
undertaken  to  run. 

Seeing,  then,  that  every  Christian  grace 
but  sought  hath  its  slenderest  beginnings,  as  well  as 
gradual  at-  '^^  ultimate  attainments,  it  is  to  be  inter- 
tempts;  red  that  the  Missionar}  is  not  perfected 
without  use,  nor  by  one  effort  of  faith  carried  to  so 
great  a  lieiglit  above  sublunary  things.  We  are 
told  of  the  mighty  Nazarite,  under  the  former  dis- 
pensation, tiiat  '••  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  began  to 
move  him  at  times  in  the  camp  of  Dan,  between 
Zorah,  and  Ashtaol."  So  when  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  begins  to  move  the  Gospel-Nazarite,  though 
it  be  in  his  native  village,  his  native  town,  or  his 
father's  house,  let  him  obey  its  movements,  and  not 
quench  them,  but  follow  onwards  at  their  bidding. 
And  even  in  this,  the  infancy  of  his  calling,  he  Avill 
find  it  needful  to  renounce  the  approbation  of  the 
world,  perhaps  the  affection  of  his  friends,  certain- 
ly his  own  ease  and  natural  pleasure,  with  many 
other  things  dearer  to  life  than  a  meal  of  meat  or  a 
change  of  raiment.  And  as  he  obeys  the  divine 
voice  wiiich  speaks  within  his  soul  for  the  salvation 
of  men,  and  encounters  the  strokes  of  their  undis- 
cerning  bhndness  to  that  which  is  spiritual,  he  will 
experience  so  much  support  of  the  Spirit,  such  in- 
ward joy  and  satislaction,  that  his  faith  will  gather 
courage,  and  spread  its  wings  abroad,  beyond  the 
confines  of  his  fatiier's  house,  his  native  village,  or 
his  native  town.  He  will  grow  so  full  of  faith,  and 
contemplative  of  things  unseen,  as  to  forget  his 
trust  in  sigfit,  and  dependence  upon  the  things  that 
are.       hiuanl    assurances  of  (Jod's  direction   will 


CONCLUSION,  FROM  THE  MISSIONARY  DOCTRINE.       109 

become  so  strong,  the  monitions  of  his  Spirit  so 
audihle,  the  commands  of  Christ  to  go  forth  unto 
all  nations  so  imprinted  in  fire  upon  his  heart,  and 
invocations  from  the  perishing  souls  of  the  Heathen 
will  wax  so  loud  and  frequent  in  his  ear,  and  his 
whole  inward  man  become  so  restless  and  aroused, 
that  he  will  have  no  peace  till  he  arise  and  go  forth. 
This  strength  of  faith  hath  a  beginning  in  the  soul 
like  the  grains  of  a  mustard  seed,  which  being 
crushed  or  neglected  in  the  embryo,  will  never 
grow  to  the  largest  tree  of  the  forest,  in  whose 
branches  the  birds  of  the  air  build  their  nests,  and 
under  whose  boughs  the  beasts  of  the  field  have 
their  habitations.  The  word  of  God  at  first  is  a 
spark,  then  it  is  a  burning  coal,  at  length  it  is  a  con- 
suming fire  within  the  hearts  of  his  servants,  and 
they  are  weary  of  forbearing,  and  they  cannot  stay 
nor  hold  their  peace;  they  must  speak  or  they 
must  die,  and  though  they  should  die  they  will 
speak ;  then  have  they  no  rest,  but  hasten  over 
land  and  over  sea,  over  rocks  and  trackless  deserts  ; 
they  cry  aloud  and  spare  not,  and  will  not  be  hin- 
dered ;  in  the  prisons  they  lift  up  their  voices,  and 
in  the  tempests  of  the  ocean  they  are  not  silent ; 
before  awful  councils  and  throned  kings,  they  wit- 
ness in  behalf  of  the  truth ;  nothing  will  quench 
their  voice  but  death,  and  in  the  article  of  death, 
ere  yet  the  spiry  flame  and  rolling  smoke  have  suf- 
focated the  organs  of  the  soul,  they  speak,  they 
pray,  they  tesiity,  they  coniiess,  they  beseech,  they 
warn,  and  at  length  they  bless  the  cruel  people. 
But  to  arrive  at  this  supremacy  of  human  nature, 
the  perfection  of  the  Missionary,  that  most  perfect 
form  of  manhood,  many  degrees  must  be  passed 
through  and  much  discipline  endured.  These  high 
graces  are  of  gradual  progress,  not  attained  without 
hard  and  patient  trials,  which  are  to  be  had  in  the 


110    FOR    xMISblO.NAKIES   AFTER   TRt:   APOSTOL.   fttUUUl,. 

Missionary  field,  not  out  of*  it.  Therefore  it  is  ex- 
pedient, for  the  wry  attainment  of  perfection,  thai 
the  Missionary  should  make  proof  of  what  faitfi  and 
spiritunl  str'^n^th  he  is  already  possessed,  in  order 
that,  being  found  worthy,  he  may  have  an  increase 
of  talents  from  the  Master  of  the  House.  To  take 
the  spo/ia  opima  of  the  war,  he  must  be  inured  to 
every  adventure  and  address  in  arms.  And,  there- 
fore, with  what  zeal  I  discover  and  set  forth  the 
form  of  the  high  calling,  and  urge  the  souls  of 
Missionaries  to  read  it,  with  that  zeal  also  I  urge 
them  to  every  step  by  which  it  is  to  be  reached, 
looking  not  at  what  is  behind,  as  if  they  had  already 
attained  or  were  already  perfect,  but  looking  to  the 
things  which  are  still  before,  and  pressing  onward 
to  the  mark. 

And   whether  the  blessing  of  God  will 
which  God      ^g   vouchsafcd   to  the  lower  degrees  of 

will  bless  ,  .  .         .  ,  "      ,        , 

with  success  this  majestic  character,  no  one  can  doubt 
proportionate  ^^j^^  kiiowcth  any  thing  of  his  revelations. 
which  are  not  for  the  perfect,  but  that  we  may  grow 
up  to  tliL'  St. dure  of  the  perfect.  He  blesseth  the 
huinblest  effort  to  advance :  he  rewardeth  the 
smallest  measure  of  attainment.  The  very  thought 
and  imiginatioii  of  good  he  blesseth  with  an  inward 
satisfaction  of  the  soul.  Nay,  even  sorrow  and 
penitence  for  evil  committed,  and  the  relaxation  of 
wickedness  before  any  contrary  movement  hath 
been  made,  he  regardeth  with  approbation,  and  re- 
wardeth with  a  certain  dawn  of  hope  and  foretaste 
of  peace.  And  of  all  his  revelations  this  is  the 
spirit :  that  he  is  the  origin,  the  promoter,  and  the 
strength  of  every  good  thought  within  our  breast, 
and  of  every  good  cause  whicli  hath  an  existence  in 
the  world,  or  is  yet  to  be  brought  into  being.  There- 
fore, at  home  or  abroad,  whoever  out  of  a  pure 
heart   seekefh    to  promote   the    (lospel    of  Christ. 


CONCLUSION,  FROM  THE  MISSIONARY   DOCTRINE.       Ill 

which  is  the  world's  redemption  and  salvation,  may 
rely  upon  a  blessing:  and  the  more  pure  his  inten- 
tion, the  more  will  it  be  approved  of  God;  and  the 
more  spiritual  his  means  and  instruments,  the  more 
speed  will  he  come ;  and  when  his  whole  heart, 
strength,  soul,  and  mind,  are  brought  over  from 
resting  upon  the  visible  to  rest  upon  the  invisible 
helps,  then  his  horn  shall  be  exalted,  and  the  full 
measure  of  the  Lord's  blessing  poured  out  upon  his 
handy-work. 

Though  God  hath  appointed  to  the  as  he  doth  in 
minister  at  the  altar,  no  more  provision  t^  pastoral 
(ban  that  he  shall  live  by  the  altar  at 
which  he  ministers,  he  refuseth  not  to  bless  the 
pious  labours  of  the  bishop  who  owneth  a  palace, 
and  is  dignified  w  ith  the  title  of  lord.  Though  he 
hath  interdicted  his  disciples  from  dignities,  he  doth 
not  therefore  bbght  or  wither  the  pious  labours  of 
the  archbishop  who  hath  precedency  of  all  digni- 
taries except  those  of  the  royal  blood.  Neverthe- 
less, his  ordinance  of  the  pastoral  office  standeth 
sure ;  and  in  proportion  as  it  is  delivered  out  of 
these  unfavourable  conditions  of  rank  and  riches, 
prospereth  the  more.  So  with  the  Missionary. 
The  good  Missionary  may  take  his  own  wisdom  for 
his  guide,  and  furnish  himself  with  all  natural  re- 
sources, and  depend  upon  the  patronage  of  man, 
rejecting  those  eternal  instructions  by  which  he 
ought  to  be  guided,  and  God  will  not  fail  to  bless 
him  according  to  the  measure  of  his  faith  and  zeal. 
Nevertheless,  be  it  known  unto  him,  that  he  cannot 
have  the  full  horn  of  his  blessing,  until  he  show 
more  dutifulness,  and  trust  in  his  Father;  more 
resemblance  to  Messiah,  his  great  ensample.  It  is 
well  that  he  hath  gone  out  to  the  battle,  but  it  is 
not  well  that  he  hath  gone  out  armed  not  accord- 

18 


112    FOR    Mls.'ilONARlES  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  bCHOOL, 

jiig  to  tiic  nature  of  the  service.  It  is  well  that  he 
hath  arrayed  himself  upon  the  right  side,  yet  not 
well  that  ho  hath'  so  many  open  rivets  in  his  ar- 
mour, lie  hath  done  well  to  land  upon  the  shores 
of  the  enemy,  for  the  emancipation  of  which  he  is 
to  contend,  but  it  is  cowardly  tliat  he  hnth  all  things 
so  well  prepared  for  retreat.  He  should  have 
burnt  his  ships  and  cast  the  scabbard  of  his  sword 
away,  and  trusted  in  the  goodness  of  his  cause,  his 
leader's  good  conduct,  sufficient  wisdom,  and  all- 
conquering  power. 

Therefore,  it  is  not  to  be   inferred  that 
'^^^"^f         these  instructions  preclude  any  one   from 

which  the  .  .         ,  *  ,   •'        ,  , 

Missionary  goHig  lu  tlic  Way  or  manner  he  pleaseth : 
shoufd^make  tlicy  do  but  iufomi  all  which  is  the  right 
n^nc^''"'^  way  and  mannner:  neither  is  it  to  be  in- 
ferred that  because  God  hath  blessed 
with  partial  success  other  ways  of  going  forth,  that 
they  are  therefore  sanctioned  as  of  equal  authority 
with  this  wliich  is  written  in  his  word.  I  tliink  the 
lame  and  partial  success  which  hath  attended 
modern  Missions  in  the  way  of  conversion,  com- 
pared with  those  of  former  times,  should  have 
Immbled  us  to  revise  the  principles  upon  which  we 
liave  proceeded,  and  see  whether  there  be  not  a 
large  mixture  of  human  wisdom  and  creature-trust 
in  our  measures.  But  it  is  not  yet  time  to  enter 
into  the  proper  office  and  duty  of  a  Missionary  So- 
ciety, which  is  surely  not  inlallible,  but  liable  to  be 
canvassed,  judged,  and,  if  need  be,  censured  and 
rebuked  by  Christian  judgments.  This  will  come 
in  a  more  advanced  part  of  our  discourse  ;  and  the 
subject  which  should  now  come  to  our  hand  is  to 
justify  and  recommend  the  practice  of  this  Mis- 
sionary Constitution,  which  we  have  drawn  from 
the  words  of  Messinh.  and  defended   from  the  a<- 


CONCLUSION,  FRO!\I  THE  MISSIO.NARV   DOCTRINE.        113 

lempts  of  temporizing  men  to  annul  it,  and  so  de- 
prive the  Church  of  what  may  be  termed  the  prin- 
ciples of  her  foreign  policy. 

When  I  shall  come  to  justify  the  wis-  Theobec- 
dom  and  commend  the  practice  of  this  tiousio 
self-denying  Missionary  ordinance,  1  will  SSnol 
not  stoop  so  low  from  the  high  dignity  of  """^ 
the  subject,  as  to  notice  the  sneers  and  sarcasms 
and  disappointed  speeches  with  which  the  sensual 
man,  and  those  spiritual  men  in  M'hom  the  sensual 
man  still  struggles  for  the  ascendancy,  will  assail 
the  principle,  of  no  scrip,  no  provisions,  no  accom- 
modations for  the  journey,  no  stately  deputations  to 
the  authorities  of  the  place,  no  travelling  charges, 
nor  any  of  all  the  other  fat  and  convenient  things, 
which  are  now  held  almost  as  indispensable  to  the 
carrying  on  of  a  religious  work,  as  heretofore  they 
were  to  a  county  canvass,  a  judicial  assize,  or  a 
parliamentary  commission  to  inspect  the  condition 
of  the  realm.  Those  who  have  accustomed  them- 
selves to  carpet  warfare,  cannot  like  the  conflict  of 
naked  steel ;  those  who  have  rejoiced  in  the  coun- 
tenance of  a  wealthy  or  a  noble  man,  as  in  the  face 
of  heaven,  must  needs  sink  to  the  centre,  when 
they  are  told  to  go  forth  where  every  fat  and  fair 
countenance  is  set  against  them  like  a  flint.  With 
such  objectors  I  will  have  nothing  to  do,  until  they 
learn  out  of  the  Scriptures  whence  the  strength  of 
Israel  cometh,  and  with  what  arms  the  Lion  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah  doth  triumph  over  his  foes.  They 
need  to  learn  what  are  the  first  principles  of  that 
kingdom,  concerning  the  high  offices  of  which  the 
present  discourse  is  held ;  and  they  must  be  given 
into  the  hands  of  some  wardens  of  the  outports,  to 
be  a  little  instructed  in  the  vulgar  language  and 
household  customs  of  the  holy  land,  before  they  can 


114      FOR  MISSIOXARIJ.S  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  SCHOOT.. 

be  admitted  to  speculate  on  these  its  high  and  noble 
commissions,  of  which  their  jokes  and  sarcasms  do 
only  betray  their  gross  and  blinded  ignorance. 
Thcobjcc-  But,  on  the  other  hand,  every  objection 
Srvean**  and  doubt  which  presents  itself  in  a  se- 
^^'-  rious   frame   of  truth,    and   breathes  the 

brotherly  spirit  which  is  proper  to  the  disciples  of 
Christ,  I  promise  to  do  my  endeavour  to  remove 
out  of  the  way,  that  I  may  carry  the  greater  con- 
sent of  my  hearers  along  with  me  to  the  question, 
How^  this  Constitution  will  answer  in  practice  ?  And 
for  the  purpose  of  hearing  all  that  can  be  said 
against  Messiah's  institute,  and  all  that  can  be  said 
in  favour  of  the  innovations  which  have  usurped  its 
place,  I  delay  at  present  going  into  the  other  parts 
of  this  discourse,  content  that  I  have  laid  before  the 
Church  what  seemeth  to  me  the  sound  doctrine 
concerning  the  Missionary  question. 

Perhaps  some  one,  able  to   defend  it. 
.,..   .  may  in  the  mean  time  rise  up,  certainlv 

tanceofthc  many  will  rise  up  to  impugn  it ;  and  ttiough 
question,  J  gjjouid  havc  to  Undertake  the  work  alone, 
I  will,  by  the  grace  of  God,  most  certainly  under- 
take to  justify  in  practice  what  I  have  delineated 
in  idea;  being  convinced  that,  ii',  as  Milton  hath 
said,  for  the  loss  of  single  truths  whole  nations  have 
fared  the  worse,  for  the  loss  of  these  few  Aerses  of 
the  Gospel,  the  whole  Heathen  world  hath  fared 
and  will  surely  fare  the  worse,  and  the  day  of  their 
salvation  be  far,  far  off'  postponed.  And  not  the 
Heathen  world  suffer  alone,  hut  the  Church  of 
Christ  amongst  ourselves,  to  whose  wounds  this 
Missionary  Constitution,  if  adopted,  would  afford  a 
healing  balm.  For  being  set  up  as  sufficient,  and 
upheld  as  binding,  the  Missionaries,  irom  whatever 
sect  proceeding,  would  tend  to  unity  of  spirit,  and 


OONtLLalOA,  FROM  TJIF-  .>lIbSlOiSAR\    DucTKlNK.        I  J  .0 

recognize  each  other  as  bretiiren,  and  bring  back 
with  them  the  happy  oblivion  of  those  uncharita- 
ble divisions,  which  are  fatal  to  the  communion  of 
the  body  of  Christ,  and  destructive  to  its  vigorous 
exertions  and  great  success  at  home.  As  it  hath 
come  to  pass  in  science,  that  Astronomy,  which  is 
conversant  with  the  distant  spheres,  did  bring  to 
the  earth  the  knowledge  of  geography,  and  extend 
navigation  and  commerce,  which  are  the  best  guar- 
dians of  community  and  peace  among  the  divided 
nations;  so  might  it  come  to  pass,  that  the  Mis- 
sionaries who  are  conversant  with  distant  regions, 
if  chosen  by  one  principle  and  made  obedient  to 
one  walk  and  conversation,  might  return  home  and 
become  the  mediators  of  our  discords,  and  teach 
the  body  of  the  Church  to  know  its  own  constitu- 
tion, which  is  charity ;  and  the  condition  of  its  wel- 
fare and  prosperity,  which  is  communion. 

The  argument  for  the  perpetuity  and  ^^^^^^^ 
unchangeableness  of  the  Missionary  Con-  solemn  com- 
stitution  is  now  concluded,  and  resteth  ihejidment 
upon  these  main  pillars  of  truth,  the  in-  of^^e church. 
structions  of  our  Lord  to  the  first  Missionaries,  four 
times  recorded  in  the  Evangelists,  unrepealed,  un- 
supplemented,  unabridged ;  the  obedience  thereto 
of  all  the  Apostles  and  first  ministers  of  the  Gos- 
pel, whose  record  is  in  the  Scriptures  (their  devia- 
tions, when  they  do  deviate,  being  always  by  ex- 
cess, and  never  by  defect,  of  our  Lord's  injunc- 
tions ;)  the  necessary  law  of  the  Spirit's  operation ; 
the  constant  condition  of  God's  chosen  Messengers 
from  the  time  of  the  patriarchs ;  the  constant  and 
unchanging  form  of  the  work  which  they  have  to 
do  in  converting  the  nations ;  and  the  perfect  keep- 
ing which  there  is  between  the  form  of  the  Mis- 
sionary as  given  by  our  Lord,  and  the  other  parts 


11(5   FOK  MISSIONARIKb  AFTER  THE  APOSTOL.  bCHOOJ,. 

of  the  Christian  institution.  1  am  aware  how  this- 
position  is  to  be  assailed  by  those  who  have  built 
up  a  system  of  administration  on  which  they  have 
set  their  heart  to  call  it  perfect  and  infalhble,  and 
which  I  charge  as  exceedingly  imperfiect,  destined 
to  much  improvement,  and  with  its  improvement, 
destined  to  mucli  greater  simplicity  and  larger 
success:  And  I  am  alive  to  the  inveteracy  of  hatred, 
and  the  injustice  of  argument,  with  whicli  this  po- 
sition will  be  treated ;  and  conceive  it  right  to  put 
the  Christian  Church  upon  their  guard,  that  they 
sell  not  this  question,  in  which  the  present  and 
future  generations  of  the  world  are  concerned, 
to  the  highest  names  upon  a  subscription  list, 
or  discern  it  by  the  ostracism  of  the  people,  or 
yield  it  to  the  voice  of  a  hirehng  and  sectarian  press  : 
which  courts  are  not  competent  to  the  issue.  I 
solemnly  charge  the  Church,  by  my  authority  of  a 
Minister  ordained  to  keep  and  watch  over  the  veri- 
ties of  the  Holy  Gospel,  that  they  determine  the 
issue  that  will  be  joined  between  us  by  a  trial  of 
these  six  counts  :  1st,  Whether  Christ's  instructions 
were  for  that  first  journey,  or  for  all  the  journies  of 
his  Missionaries.  2d,  Whether  the  Apostles  walked 
in  them  or  not ;  and  if  they  deviated,  whether  they 
deviated  in  the  spirit  or  from  the  spirit  of  these  in- 
structions. 3d,  Whether  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  pro- 
portion as  he  possesseth  the  spirit  of  a  man,  doth 
not  lift  liim  out  of  worldly  dependence  into  an 
assured  laith  upon  tiie  providence  and  promises  of 
God.  4th,  VV  liether  God's  preachers  and  prophets 
and  Missionaries,  b}  whom  he  extended  and  re- 
ileemed  his  Church,  from  tlie  time  it  was  the  single 
family  of  .Jacob  down  to  the  time  that  the  Lion" of 
the  tribe  of  .ludah  came,  were  not  stripped  bare  of 
earthly  refuges  and  reliances  before  being  employ- 


CONCLUSION,  FROM  THE  MISSIONARY  DOCTRINE.        117 

ed,  or  brought  to  that  condition,  before  being  pros- 
pered in  their  work.  5th,  Whether  the  obstacles 
to  the  spiritual  kingdom,  which  God  heretofore 
chose  things  that  are  not  to  bring  to  nought,  be  not 
still  the  same,  and  by  the  same  means  to  be  over- 
come, (ith,  Whether  this  idea  and  outward  form 
of  the  Missionary,  contained  in  Messiah's  instruc- 
tions, be  not  consistent  and  in  keeping  with  the 
idea  of  a  pastor,  with  the  idea  of  a  private  Chris- 
tian, and  every  other  idea  which  is  revealed  by 
Christ  for  the  redeeming  and  perfecting  of  the 
fallen  condition  of  humanity.  Upon  these  six  counts 
I  will  risk  the  issue  and  stand  by  the  award  of  the 
question.  Whether  Messiah's  Constitution  was  in- 
tended for  an  unchangeable  Constitution  in  the 
Church,  or  is  to  be  patched  and  mended,  helped 
and  repaired,  and  accommodated  by  wiser  heads  to 
the  changing  condition  of  the  world.  Whether,  in 
this  great  work,  the  Catholic  Church  is  to  act  upon 
a  common  principle  and  be  guided  by  a  common 
law,  or  each  sect  of  it  to  adopt  a  principle  which 
may  seem  to  it  the  most  expedient,  and  follow  a 
rule  which  may  appear  to  it  the  most  wise.  Whether 
the  Churches,  which  they  may  be  honoured  to 
plant,  are  to  have  the  character  of  the  order  that 
planteth  them,  like  the  Jesuit  settlements  of  Para- 
guay; or  to  have  the  character  of  the  primitive 
Churches,  which  were  of  one  heart  and  mind,  be- 
cause the  Apostles  were  obedient  to  the  instruc- 
tions of  one  common  Lord.  Whether,  in  fine,  we  are 
to  open  in  the  hearts  of  our  Missionaries  inlets  to 
every  spirit  of  hypocrisy,  avarice,  and  ambition, 
and  close  as  many  inlets  to  the  spirit  of  truth, 
quenching  by  our  prudences  and  policies  the  one 
everlasting  Spirit  of  God,  and  giving  vent  to  as 
many  spirits,  crusading,  Jesuitical,  commercial,  or 


118    FOR  MISSIONARIES  AFTER  THE  APOST0L.  SCHOOL. 

political,  as  there  are  diverse  ages  in  the  Church, 
wliich  are  not,  like  tlie  ages  of  the  world,  fourfold, 
— of  gold,  of  silver,  of  brass,  of  iron, — but  manifold, 
according  to  the  degree  of  impurity  and  incom- 
pleteness in  the  doctrine  which  is  preached,  and 
in  the  degree  of  laxness  or  lordliness  in  the  disci- 
pline which  is  administered  in  the  Churches. 


END    OF    THE    FIRST   PART. 


DATE  DUE 

j            CAVLORD 

PNINTEO  IN  U.S.A. 

